Neko
by Lily Kalanoa
Summary: Ever wonder what it would be like to be a cat-person? The Gundam boys find out when they meet Ternash. He's very useful, and helpful on missions. Too bad he's helping Treize too...Yaoi. Enjoy ^_^*COMPLETE*
1. They meet

Hi hi all! This is Kalanoa and I'm very glad to be posting my first Gundam Wing fic! Now, I don't own any of it, but I love it all to death. I'll probably mess up some vaguely important stuff, forgive me. Anyway – summery of the plot: The boys meet my original character, Ternash – a boy with cat ears and a tail. This is all about him and trying to deal with life when you're so different. It's going to end up being kind of long, I think, but I hope you all like it. ^_^ Enough of my talking (can you really call it that?). On with the fic. Oh, I almost forgot! There will be a fair amount of YAOI in this. Pairings: 3x4 of course, and 2x5 the best pairing out there ^_^ Also, my character gets some action, but I don't want to spoil the surprise.

Warnings: these will come at the beginning of each chapter that applies (except the yaoi warning which is throughout). This chapter-some gay bashing, but it's by antagonists and thus, a pointless and stupid opinion. Also deals with family abuse and general discrimination briefly.

**

Ternash stood in front of the mirror, glaring at his reflection. He was trim, definitely in good condition, but that seemed the only good thing about him. His hand went to his unruly mane of black hair and ran the length, which was well below his shoulders. _Maybe I should cut it. Blend in more. _But that was silly, if he cut it, it would be harder to hide his ears. 

Self-consciously, Ternash tightened the bandanna over those hated ears. You couldn't _really_ see them. He eyed the slight bulge around his waist and tried to pretend it wasn't there either. He let out a deep sigh as the bell signaled the end of break. It was impossible. He scurried out of the bathroom and to his next class. It would be a long day.

**

WuFei sat quietly under a tree, waiting for the others to find their way out of classes for the day. The school was noisy and crowded, next too impossible to find any peace to meditate. Even now, he couldn't focus and his attention was drawn to a small group some twenty feet away. Three boys that Fei had seen get into numerous fights were surrounding a smaller boy. _No justice_ he thought as he climbed to his feet. He couldn't let the strong bully the weak. He would never allow that.

"I don't want to fight you." Ternash backed into a wall, arms raised protectively. 

"You don't have to, just take the punches, fag." One of the boys roughly grabbed Ternash's wrist, wrenching him around into the center of their small group. 

Ternash landed hard against another of the boys. "Woah, I don't swing that way, freak." He shoved the smaller boy again, this time sending him to the ground.

Ternash scrambled to get his legs under him again and once more backed against the wall. The largest and dumbest boy, obviously the leader, stepped forward and readied a punch. "Your kind aren't welcome here, fag." Ternash ducked the punch and threw an open handed attack into the boy's face. He stumbled back, deep cuts appearing on his jaw line. "What the hell? Kill the fucking tweak!"

Ternash leapt up, planting his feet against the wall behind him, and flipped over his attackers. He landed and immediately broke into a run, but didn't get far. One of the boys reached out, catching the back of Ternash's loose T-shirt. The small boy coughed as his air was cut off momentarily and braced as a fist contacted his jaw and he fell back to land hard on his back. Another of the boys kicked him hard in the ribs eliciting a sharp yelp of pain.

Ternash curled his arms around himself to protect from the blows, but no more came. Looking up, Ternash saw a muscular Chinese boy standing above him keeping the boys at bay. They ran off from the new threat and WuFei turned to the fallen boy. "You all right?"

Hesitantly, Ternash moved to take the offered hand. WuFei however, was staring wide eyed at the boy. Ternash slowly reached up to his hair where the bandanna had been dislodged to reveal a small, fuzzy, triangle shaped ear. He moved his lips, trying to explain, but no words came, while tears threatened his eyes.

WuFei pulled back and pulled a sword seeming from nowhere and leveled it at the boy. "What are you?" The two stared in silence for endless seconds before . . .

"Wu-man! Watcha doin' to this guy?" The Chinese boy was tackled by a certain braided baka.

"Damned American, ruining my dramatic pose . . ."

Duo ignored his friend's grumbling and bent to help Ternash off the ground. His eyes played over the small ear, nearly invisible flattened against his dark hair. Duo's eyes widened. Wow! A neko? But he thought those only existed in stories and TV shows. He reached out to touch the little triangle only to have his hand batted away. 

"Thank you for your help. I'll be leaving now." Ternash pulled the bandanna around his head once more and tried to get away from the two pilots. 

"Woah, hey, wait!" Duo scrambled after the other boy. "Where are you going? Shouldn't we take you to the nurse or something? Are you all right?"

"I'll heal."

Duo darted in front of the boy, forcing him to stop. "I absolutely _insist_ you let us get you some help. You're hurt, after all." Ternash frowned but immediately stopped as it hurt his already swelling jaw. He nodded, not having any other choice for medical care and allowed the extremely bouncy brunette to lead him and a much more subdued WuFei off school campus.

**

Duo stood over a huge, overstuffed chair where Ternash sat, completely lost in the giant cushions. He dabbed the smaller boy's ribs, wiping the blood gently away. It had been quite a struggle to get the shirt off of Ternash, but Duo had eventually won given the fact that the neko had been bleeding pretty badly. Duo couldn't understand what the problem was, until he saw that the ratty, torn shirt was all that hid the fluffy black tail wrapped around his waist.

Said tail was now shoved into a corner of the chair, hidden from view. Ternash was trying very hard to sink into the fabric around him. And doing a fairly good job of it too. He yelped and jerked away as Duo pressed against the rib that had received the kick earlier. "Stupid idiots."

Duo put away the first aid kit and sat on the floor. "All done." He smiled ear to ear. "So, how'd you get involved with the 'stupid idiots' anyway?"

"The usual. They think I'm gay, they throw a punch, I leave claw marks and it escalates from there." He was staring at his fingers in disgust.

Duo joined the study of his hands, not seeing any claws. "Are you? Gay I mean, I don't care either way. Just curious."

Ternash reached over and snatched up his shirt. "Geez, just because I got long hair and I'm pretty, everyone automatically assumes I'm gay!" Duo nodded, noting that he hadn't actually answered the question. Duo was certainly used to those stereotypes. They could be very hurtful, never mind that in his case they were true. Ternash stood, wrapping his tail around his waist again. "I have to go. Thank you."

Duo stood beside him. "Come on, you should stay a while. Where are you staying anyway?" He eyed the duffle bag that Ternash had brought with him. It looked like luggage.

His suspicion was confirmed as the neko blushed deeply. "I'm staying in a hotel near school." He didn't meet the American's eyes.

Duo frowned, suspecting that it couldn't be a very good hotel, if he was really staying in one at all. "Look, why don't you stay here. Quatre wouldn't mind, he loves guests. I'm sure it would be better than what you've got. Certainly cheaper than a hotel."

Ternash paused, clearly considering it. He shook his head, "No, I have to go. Start on transfer records, see if Grandpa can get me out before Monday."

"Transfer? Didn't you just transfer in? Why leave so soon?"

"Look at me! I'm a freak and by tomorrow the entire school is going to know that. You don't seem the type to tell, neither do your friends, but those bullies got a pretty good look at me too. Besides, two of your 'friends' have already tried to kill me."

Duo grasped Ternash's hands and gave them a shake that sent tremors through all his body. "Come on, I already explained that. Wu-man wasn't actually going to hurt you, he just thought you were an oni or something. He's just over cautious. And Heero," Duo paused. "Well, he tries to kill everyone. He's tried to kill me a couple times. I'd be worried if he _didn't _try to kill you. Personally, I'm glad to meet a real live neko. It must be so cool to have ears. And I would love to have a fluffy tail!"

Ternash pulled away from the bouncing and rambling boy. "You can only say that because you don't know what it's really like. You would hate it, walking around like a freak, separate from all of society."

"I'm already separate from society. Ears and a tail would just be cool!"

Ternash looked more than angry now. "Don't be an idiot! Those creeps at school tried to turn me to mush because they assumed I was gay. Imagine what they would have done if they knew I was a monster. My own parents tried to drown me when I was born. They never even named me. They kept me around for some reason and called me Neko until I was sent away. Even my sensei refused to teach me, punched me through a wall first time we met! It's hell, and people who think 'it would be cool' are just jackasses that make my existence that much worse!"

The vague insult bounced right off Duo's hide and he saw the genuine hurt in Ternash's eyes. "Hey, calm down. It can't be all that bad. I bet there are lots of people out there who wouldn't care whether or not you were furry."

The raven-haired boy took a few more steps toward the door. "You're being stupid. You just don't know what it's like." His shoulders were shaking with unshed emotions now and Duo wrapped him in a hesitant hug. "Baka."

Duo smiled slightly and pulled the smaller boy more tightly into the hug. "Yup, that's me, the braided baka. Stay here for at least the night. You can meet Quatre and Trowa when they get back in the morning. They won't judge you. I don't" 

Ternash leaned into him and nodded slightly. He had nowhere else to go. He stalked away to the indicated guest room, small tears trailing down his cheeks. "I wish my parents had drowned me."

**

Well, that seems like a good place to end the chapter. This is basically finished, I have to rewrite the rest of it, but I should be able to post it pretty fast. Tell me what you think, or my standard threat applies. No reveiws means this goes into my private collection. ^_^ Flames are welcome, but not particularly appreciated – I might flame back. Hope to read your thoughts soon.


	2. First mission

All right, I got a few good reviews, so I'm posting up the rest of this. I really hope you guys like it ^_^. Of course, no miracles have happened in the last week, so I still don't own it. So thanks to my reviewers, especially Chara *begins munching Pocky* mmmmm…pocky…

Warnings: Not much this chapter, just some mild swearing.

There was a light knock on the door and Ternash was immediately awake. He sat up on the futon and wrapped the blanket around himself, taking care to cover his ears and tail. The door cracked open and a small blonde boy peeked in. "Hey, I'm Quatre. I brought you some breakfast." He came in and set a silver tray on the small table in the room. "It's getting pretty late, almost nine. Duo said we should let you sleep in."

Ternash frowned. "What else did Duo tell you?"

"Just that you were in a fight and didn't have anywhere else to go." Quatre stepped to the window and drew the curtains. He noticed how closely the other boy watched him, like a cornered animal watching a vicious dog. He offered a smile and got one back. 

Ternash stood and began to shuffle to the warm food. The blanket, however, proved too much for the agile neko and he went tumbling. Right into Quatre. It wouldn't have been bad at all, except that Trowa chose that exact moment to introduce himself as well. He watched as Ternash seemed to tackle the blonde bringing them both to the floor.

In a flash, Trowa was beside them. He lifted Ternash clear off the ground just long enough to land a punch that sent him halfway across the room and onto the floor again. Immediately, Quatre was in front of the taller pilot. "Trowa, what do you think you're doing? He's a guest!" His anger slowly ebbed as he noticed his love wasn't paying attention. He turned, following Trowa's gaze to where Ternash lay on the floor, and his eyes widened as he saw the now unhidden ears atop his head. "Kawaii-chan!" he cried, eyes sparkling like diamonds.

Ternash looked up and winced at the name. Trowa met his eyes with an apologetic look and hugged Quatre to keep him from tackling the prone neko. Ternash desperately wanted to disappear into the floor. There had obviously been a misunderstanding, but now he was more worried about Quatre then Trowa. The blonde was exactly the type that would love him _because_ of his ears. He shouldn't have stayed.

After he'd finished his small meal, Ternash shoved his few possessions into his bag and carried it down the stairs. Duo saw the empty looking bag and frowned. "I thought you were going to stay!" he whined.

"I never said that. I said I'd spend the night and meet your friends. I have, and now I'm leaving." He headed for the door.

Heero stood in the boy's path, blocking his exit. Ternash pulled away, still hurting from their previous encounter. "I did some checking on our next mission. Why are you here, cat?" The question was unexpected and a little confusing. He was there because Duo wouldn't let him leave. He told that to the stoic boy and Heero shook his head. "That's not what I mean. At our school. You only transferred here a few days ago."

Ternash groaned, realization kicking in at last. "I was sent here to find the Gundam pilots. Let me guess, that's you, isn't it?" Heero nodded. 

Duo was still processing the conversation when Quatre looked at him. "When did we get another mission?"

Duo snapped his fingers. "That's right, you two were gone when orders came through. We're getting it back, Q-chan."

The Arabian's eyes lit up. "We're getting Sand Rock back? You mean it?"

Ternash looked confused again. These boys were so young, couldn't even be as old as he was. Except for Heero, and maybe Fei, they acted nothing like the professional pilots they had to be. He dropped his bag and found a chair to sit in. _Why do I have to help on a stupid mission?_

WuFei seemed to be thinking the same thing as he eyed the neko suspiciously. "Why would someone like you be our contact? No offense, but you don't seem the fighter type."

Ternash shook his head again. "I've been there before. I've scouted the location a couple of times. I actually know the security pretty well _and_ where they'd actually have the Gundam." He bent to rest his head against the table.

Heero grumbled something and went into another room. Fei and Trowa followed, presumably to prepare for the mission, while Duo hurried upstairs where much bumping and cursing could be heard. Only Quatre seemed to notice Ternash's quiet tears. Quatre came and sat by him, stroking his hair gently. Ternash lay there a moment, the calm gesture feeling remarkably good. Regathering his senses, he shot his head up and slapped away Quatre's hand. "Do not pet me, I am not a cat!"

Quatre frowned, looking rather hurt. "I'm sorry. I just wanted . . . are you all right?"

"I don't want to stay here. I don't want to go on some stupid mission. I just want to go somewhere were no one knows me and I can hide what I am."

"Well, why are you on this mission then?"

Ternash thought about Howard. He smiled inwardly, no emotion showing on his face. His ojiisan was the only person that ever seemed to accept him for what he was. "I'm repaying a friend. Besides, you need me." He hadn't seen Howard face to face in years; even then he'd only seen him twice in his life. Mostly, he sent information on schools and transfer records to avoid problems. It was pretty sad to think that that was all he got from his best friend in the world.

Quatre hugged the older boy around the neck. "Well, your friend is lucky to have you." His hand traveled up to scratch the neko's ears, eliciting a soft purr followed by and angry growl. Quatre pulled away from the upset boy at once. "I'm glad you're here, it was nice to meet you."

"All right." The five pilots were clustered around Ternash and a quickly drawn map. The neko wiped his wet eyes and tried to focus on the task at hand. "We're going to get the Gundam back. What's its condition?"

Quatre flinched slightly. "I had to leave it behind. The leg actuator was blown and I couldn't move. It's unlikely they've fixed that." The blonde received a dark glare from Heero and flushed crimson. "I tried to self-destruct, but it didn't work…"

Ternash nodded. "Well, someone will have to get to the Gundam to fix it then."

Trowa immediately looked up. "I'll do that."

"Trowa-kun, it's my suit, I should be the one to repair it."

"Why don't you both go? Strength in numbers, you know. Besides, you could use a lookout." They nodded and Ternash returned to the map, adding a few more details to the sketch. "All right then, you two will go in first through this route. Once you get past the main guards, you should be fine." Trowa nodded and began memorizing the path.

WuFei sheathed his katana that he'd been polishing. "We should use this as a chance to gather information on OZ."

Heero grunted. "We should use this chance to destroy the base, too."

Fei and Duo nodded slightly. Ternash traced another path through the complex. "If we follow this path, we can gather some information while we're at it."

WuFei narrowed his eyes. "We?"

Ternash blinked. "Well, yeah. I mean, I know the security, I assumed…" The room was quiet and Ternash blushed. "Trowa and Quatre will go in first. Five count and we'll go in too. Radio us when you're done and we'll get out before you activate the Gundam."

Fei stood in the doorway watching as Ternash completely emptied the contents of his large bag, apparently looking for something. He watched as books were tossed onto the floor and clothing was thrown over chairs. Finally the small boy stood up with a pair of black jeans and a long sleeved, dark purple shirt. He changed quickly and began adjusting the pants. All his pants had to be cut so low they nearly fell off, all because of his blasted tail. He kneeled again, rummaging for a light purple belt to complete the ensemble.

Once he was dressed, he turned to the Chinese boy. "All right, I'm ready. We should get moving before it gets dark, get there at twilight before they boost security."

WuFei came into the room. "You don't have to come. I know you're eager to get moving and we can do this on our own. No one would blame you if you left, this isn't your fight."

Ternash looked at him, eyes echoing loneliness. He shook his head. "Stand straight to see all, treat your body well, don't laugh with your guard down. It's about all my sensei ever taught me. Four rules I live by; the fourth is never leave behind your enemies. If I have that much respect for my enemies, you can imagine how I feel about my friends."

WuFei nodded in agreement. "You have a lot of honor. That's very impressive, given your life and what you've been through."

"Thanks. For your concern, but is it really for me?"

The other boy looked away. "I'm sorry. You want me to accept what you are, and I certainly don't hold it against you, but . . . You have no control over what you are, but it isn't normal. Which, of course, just makes it worse that you're a very nice person."

Ternash offered his hand and Fei took it. "I know, I'm a freak, but I promise I'm good at what I do. I won't fail this mission." Fei smiled slightly. They were warriors, equals, almost friends. Both fought with honor, and both were going to see this through. The two boys hurried to meet the others and then began on their way.

The sun was just creeping below the horizon as the boys reached the base. The group stopped, allowing Trowa and Quatre to go ahead on their own. Five minutes later, four boys swept silently along the darkening path. As they hurried to the buildings, the pilots got a first hand view of just how feline Ternash was. He kept slightly ahead of the group, ears pricked and eyes keen for danger. His tail swept behind him, almost long enough to brush the ground and swaying back and forth with each step. Crouched down like he was, it would have been easy to mistake him for an ordinary cat from a distance.

They reached their chosen entrance and Ternash pressed against the wall. Duo leaned into the door and quickly picked the lock. "I hope the others are having this much luck."

WuFei looked at Ternash and frowned. He was white as a sheet and breathing shallow. "Are you all right?"

Ternash nodded as the door swung open. "I'm scared shitless, but I'll be fine. Let's split up, one group for info, one for explosives. Meet at the end of the last hall when you're done."

An hour or more passed without incident beyond a few guards that were quickly knocked out. Ternash – lucky him – went with Heero to plant explosives since he knew little about computers and hacking. To be honest, his partner scared him almost as much as the mission, but all he had to do was play lookout so it was okay. Finally they reached the rendezvous point and waited for the others.

Ternash pricked his ears suddenly and sniffed the air. "I think I smell something. I'll go check it out."

Heero glared at him, freezing the neko in his tracks. "You'll get caught."

"If there's a patrol heading this way, we'll both be caught and the mission will fail. You wait here for the others; I'll see what's going on and then come tell you." Heero frowned and nodded and Ternash was off.

He raced down the hall and reached another corner, which he turned a little too quickly. Sliding on the slick floor, he was unable to keep out of sight of the half dozen or so soldiers coming his way. No other choice but to be shot, Ternash used his momentum to get into a room whose door was slightly ajar.

Another mistake. More soldiers waited to greet him in this supposed sanctuary. There was a second where both sides stood frozen, surprised by what they saw. Then the soldiers opened fire and Ternash leapt desperately aside to avoid the bullets. Ternash cursed aloud as he realized he had just put himself in a corner, literally.

"Hold your fire." Ternash turned, eyes wide looking for the source of the voice. He found it in an older man with hair the color of honey. The man approached him slowly. "What sort of creature are you?"

Ternash backed into the wall and hissed, revealing small, sharp fangs that glinted in the fluorescent lights. Desperately he looked around for an escape. A vent or air duct perhaps.

Treize reached out one hand and tugged gently on the cat ears atop the boy's head. "Are these real?"

"Itai! Kisama, of course they're real!" He swung a hand at the man's throat, claws out from adrenaline and intending to take his head off. Treize easily caught his wrist and shook his head, clucking his tongue softly. "Let go of me!" cried the enraged Ternash, doing everything he could to pull away. 

Treize simply stood and delivered his captive to one of his men. Whispering a few words to the man, he left and Ternash was dragged away to a cell.

Duo was just finishing up at the terminal he was seated at. WuFei stood from his own 'borrowed' computer with a disk. "Done. You?"

Duo frowned and typed frantically. "Just about." Fei walked over and planted a kiss on top of the chestnut head before him. Duo hit the disk eject just as gunshots rang through the complex. "Oh, shit!" he and WuFei drew their guns, running full speed out of the room. They sprinted down the halls, stowing the data disks as they went.

They rounded a final corner and came to where Heero stood, gun drawn and peering around the corner. Fei looked around, "Where's Ternash?"

"Probably on the other end of those gunshots." 

Dup paled slightly. "We have to get out of here. You guys go, I'll get Ternash." 

Heero nodded and held out his hand for the disks his partner possessed. "I'll give you an hour after Trowa and Quatre get out. Then I'm blowing the base." Duo nodded and left with a kiss from Fei and his best luck.

It took a little longer than I wanted to get this chapter out. I'm going to try to post one chapter every weekend, so that'll let you know when to look. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated and critiques are wanted. Flames are still welcome too ^_^ C ya!


	3. The general

Hello again. As usual, luck is not in my favor so I still don't own anything. Well, except my laptop, which I worship, and you should too 'cause it keeps my writing. Anyway, thanks for the reveiws again ^_^ Relwarc said that Ternash was one of the best Ocs he's (she'd?) ever seen. Thanks a bunch! It's good to know my creations are getting proper praise!^_^ Anyway, on with the fic.

Chibi Duo: I like Ternash too! Yay! More cool fic! More!

Kalanoa: *glomps Chibi Duo*  Keep quiet, and don't you dare spoil the surprises!

Chibi Duo: You mean like later when he sleps with –

Kalanoa *smothers the kawaii chibi* Keep quiet and let the nice folks read it for themselves!

Warnings: Well, some interesting stuff this time around. Some serious suduction, and Treize being a general jackass. Also, the bullies make their second appearance, so there's more of them too. Fun.

Ternash tugged experimentally on the chain connecting his cuffed wrists to the wall. It was strong, too strong to break, and kept him about five feet from the door. He sighed and sat to wait. Surely Heero wouldn't abandon the mission on his account. One good thing, if the complex blew up, he wouldn't be a prisoner for long.

The door squeaked as it opened and Ternash turned to see Treize enter with a plate. Against his will, Ternash's stomach growled at the smell of at least somewhat edible food. Treize smiled and sat on the ground a foot or so away from the Neko. "Hungry?"

Ternash scooted back a little, not answering the other. Treize shrugged and scooped some of the – well actually, Ternash couldn't identify the food, but he knew it was food – onto a fork and extended it towards him. He reached for the fork, only to have the chain tighten, stopping his hands at chest level and still well away from the nourishment. Ternash stared for a moment at the offered fork before realization struck. "You . . . can't be serious."

Treize shrugged, letting a slight chuckle out. "If you don't want it . . ." He began to turn the fork, letting the food slip off back onto the plate.

Ternash's eyes widened. "I-iie! Matte, please." Treize looked at him patiently until the boy opened his mouth, allowing the general to feed him. It certainly wasn't the best food, but it wasn't poison either and it contented his angry stomach.

Treize watched his prisoner closely. "What is your name, little one?"

Ternash paused, looking away for an instant. "Neko is fine."

Thoroughly satiated, Ternash leaned away from the OZ general, understandably nervous. Treize sat for a moment in silence before speaking. "The gundam we had captured appears to have been freed. Some twenty minutes ago, I believe." He moved slightly closer to Ternash, eyes hard. "I know you were with them and I know you were meant as a diversion so that they could get out. Do you want to tell me anything about it?"

Ternash bit his lip and forced himself to look away from those mesmerizing eyes. "I won't betray them to you."

"Come now," said Treize settling back onto his heels. "You can't possibly hold loyalty to some terrorists that have abandoned you here. Why don't you give me a little information? I _am_ asking nicely."

Ternash shivered at the thought of other methods he could use. He didn't look up. "Gomen, ojiisan. I wanted to see you again."

Treize caught the whispered sentiment and thought for a moment. Changing strategies, he moved right up behind his prisoner and began to rub his shoulders. Ternash gave a startled cry before slumping at how good the massage felt. He hadn't realized he was so tense. "General . . ?"

"Please, call me Treize."

"General," Ternash said, firmer this time, "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" he asked moving further down the boy's back. "Just relax, you will not get treats like this often." He could hear a purr starting in the boy's throat.

For a long time, Ternash sat there, letting his mind drift and his body relax. He settled onto the ground on his stomach, allowing the older man a better angle. "Flies with honey. Flies with honey. Flies with honey."

Treize paused in his movements. "What was that, Neko?"

Ternash snapped his eyes open, not realizing he had said it aloud. "F-flies with honey. As in the old saying 'you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar'? You're only being nice because you want me to talk. I – I had to remind myself."

Treize leaned back, pleased that he had been succeeding, and allowed Ternash to get into a sitting position again. "Is that what you think?" The boy nodded. "I haven't mentioned anything about them since I began. I was not planning on bringing it up again."

After a second, he continued. "You, my young Neko, are a fascinating creature. I doubt I will ever see another like you. That aside, you are also quite lovely. You may be a prisoner, but that doesn't change the fact that I wouldn't mind just being with you. And so I've stayed here, knowing you will not give me any information, and have not asked you to break such loyalty." He still sat behind the boy who was staring at the wall in front of them resolutely. To emphasize his little speech, Treize ran a hand down the boy's spine, which caused him to shiver and lean back into the feather light touch.

Ternash felt the general's arm slip around his waist, pulling him closer. _Flies with honey, flies with honey. He's lying, this is a trick, don't let your defenses down._ Treize placed a light kiss on his cheek and Ternash's mind immediately switched tracks. _This isn't happening. He hasn't even touched my ears or tail. He can't possibly find me attractive or. . .  normal . . . can he?_

The general withdrew his arms and stood. "I've been here nearly half an hour, people will begin to wonder." Ternash snapped his head up doing quick mental math. It had been nearly an hour since he was captured. What the hell was taking Heero so long?! Treize narrowed his eyes slightly. "Is something wrong?"

Ternash fought to think clearly. _He's manipulating you. Flies with honey, that's all this has been. But . . . I can't just let him die, can I?_ "G-general. You . . . you should leave. Get off the base, as fast as possible."

"Something I should know about, Neko?" 

Ternash hung his head. "Just, please, go as fast as you can."

Treize nodded and took something from his pocket. With a jolt, Ternash realized it was the key to his restraints. "If I'm in danger here, so are you." He dropped the keys beside the door and smiled. "I can't simply _give_ them to you." And with that, he left.

Once Ternash recovered from his shock, he tugged again at the restraints, trying to reach the door or the keys any way he could. It was no use. He had just given up when the door opened again, this time to reveal a scowling Duo. Ternash's eyes widened. "D-Duo? What - ?"

The Deathscythe pilot shook his head at the other boy. "How could you warn Treize like that? Don't you know he's one of our worst enemies?"

Ternash blinked. "You – How did you - ?"

Duo waved the questions off. "I've been waiting for that jerk to leave or the last ten minutes." He snatched the keys from the floor at his feet. "At least he made my job easier. We have to hurry though, Heero will blow this place whether or not we get out first."

Ternash nodded mutely and hurried after the braided pilot as he ran full tilt down the various hallways. The neko was lost in his own thoughts. _Did I do the right thing? The man is an enemy, Ojiisan would have wanted him to die in the explosion. No, Ojiisan doesn't want him dead, just out of power. _One hand went to his cheek momentarily, sensation of the light kiss lingering. _Can I trust Treize?_

In a transport filled with men and supplies already leaving the base, Treize Khushrenada looked down at the tracker in his hands. He smiled in satisfaction as the small green blip began moving away from the base. _It's funny really. A little affection and some sweet words and you can get *anyone* on your side. _

**

Duo and Ternash reached the safe house without incident, much to the boys' relief. Ternash shuffled to the couch, not having near the energy to climb the stairs to the guest room. He hugged one of the throw pillows to his chest, still wrestling with private thoughts and quite content to sleep right there.

"He did what?!" Ternash jolted to full alertness and swiveled to look at Heero. He and the other pilots stood around an uncharacteristically sober Duo.

Quatre looked at Ternash, then at Heero. "Heero, calm down. I mean, we didn't even know he was there, it wasn't part of the mission to kill him."

Heero glared at the blonde, sending him back a step. "But he _was_ there. Treize is one of the biggest forces keeping this war going, and _he_ let him get away."

"But Heero! He's not a soldier like us, you can't blame him for this. Trowa, tell him!"

"I'm sorry, Quatre, I think he's right."

Duo put a hand on Quatre's shoulder. "I hate to admit it, but I agree with both of them. And I know, at least a little, so do you." The blonde bit his lip and turned his gaze to the floor, conceding the argument.

Ternash looked away from the pilots, laying down to attempt sleep. He hardly noticed as WuFei came over and draped a blanket over his shoulders. "Right or wrong, what you did was honorable."

**

"No doubt about it, sir. He's stopped moving, they _must_ be at their base. Should we strike?"

Treize thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Not yet. Let them fall back into a sense of security. Besides," the general took a sip of wine and smiled, "it will be much more useful to us if I can convince that Neko to help us. Send someone to watch the house, but do nothing else. Is that understood?" The other man saluted and retreated to carry out the order.

**

Ternash spent the rest of the weekend in his room, studiously avoiding the other pilots at all costs. But Monday, as Mondays always do, soon arrived and spoiled his solitude. He woke early to prepare himself physically and mentally for the harsh reality of school. _If only_ his ojiisan would let him drop out, it would make life so much easier.

Duo came stumbling down the hall to find the neko in front of the bathroom mirror, fighting with a dark bandana. He smoothed his hair, then fluffed it again, doing anything he could to hide the bulge of his ears. Ternash cursed softly and let out a heart-felt sigh, moving on to his tail. Duo smiled sadly at the boy. "Do you want any help?"

"No, thank you. It took me a few years, but I finally figured out how to do this on my own."

Duo noticed dark circles under the boy's eyes and realized that he hadn't slept well, if at all, the last couple of days. Dazedly he wondered if it was from the stress of the mission, or the greeting he had received when he got home. _Either could break a man, not like we made it easy for him._ He reached over and grabbed a brush from the other side of the sink to begin his own morning ritual. "I'll see you downstairs. Try to relax, buddy. Everything will work out."

Ternash wandered down to the kitchen soon after, the smell of crisping bacon reaching his sensitive nose. He saw Quatre setting the table, a sunny smile fixed on his face. Ternash found the smile turned on him at double the brightness as the blonde placed a mountain of bacon and eggs in front of him. He was glad for the kindness, but soon learned it was all he would get.

Heero and Trowa, when they came down for breakfast, ignored Ternash completely. Duo, despite his earlier kind words, was just as cold. Even Quatre was detached, not meeting his eyes even as he made polite conversation. Ternash left the table before he found out what terrible greeting he would get from the Chinese pilot and walked slowly to school alone.

The day was long and hard for Ternash. None of the boys talked to him at all, despite the fact that he and Duo were in the same class. Of course, the braided boy had been asleep for most of the class . . . but it was still depressing. When the final bell rang, Ternash walked in the opposite direction of the safe house, not ready to face the harsh silence yet. He stopped on a slight hill just past the sports field and stared out at the world around him. Nature was so perfect, everything in perfect balance. Nothing suffered in the wild, and even things like death and decay were the sign of new life beginning.

Nothing like the world of man. His eyes took in the huge mechs and wasted battle zones with dismay. Man's world was all about one person's petty ego being boosted by the suffering of another. Briefly, Ternash wished he was one of those men who lived happily in lavish comfort, not caring about the world around them. He quickly corrected himself; he would much rather be a part of beautiful nature, no ties to man or this horrible war that destroyed everything.

Not for the first time that day, his mind drifted to Treize. The general had seemed so kind, despite his abnormalities. Despite even the fact that he was a prisoner and was helping the other side. Could he be a good man? 

Ternash's stomach growled loudly, cutting off any further contemplation about the character of anything. He sighed, hoping that one of the boys would have dinner ready when he reached the house. He turned to leave, but suddenly dinner was the last thing on Ternash's mind as a fist rocketed into the side of his head. For a moment he just stood there, eyes unfocused, until the reality set in and gravity brought him heavily to the ground.

"Hold him still!" Ternash felt powerful arms wrap around him and haul him to his feet. It was the same bullies from the other day, he realized, staring at the ringleader of the small gang. 

He struggled in his captor's grip, desperate to get away. "Please, let me go. What do you want from me?"

Another punch found its mark, this time to Ternash's stomach bringing his pleas to a sputtering end. "What do I want?" echoed the large boy. His hand hovered by his own jaw where deep scabbed over claw marks stood out quite prominently. "Payback for these, first off." His hand lanced out again with crushing force.

Ternash doubled over from the impact. He could sense the boy's hand hovering beside his head and tried unsuccessfully to pull away. "Second, I want another look. See if I was right." His fingers closed around Ternash's bandanna and a bit of hair and pulled violently back. Ternash cried out in pain and shock as the world around him was suddenly louder and clearer without the protective cloth.

"Hey, check this out." Ternash suddenly remembered that there were three members of this gang of morons and he realized the third stood somewhere behind him. With horror, he felt the third boy's hand slip under his shirt. Those fingers wrapped around Ternash's tail, pulling back with all their strength. Ternash screamed out, a feline roar resounding in his pained voice. He slumped, vision blurring as punches reigned down on him like hail. 

Some minutes later, the blows stopped and Ternash struggled to look up. "Third," the bully said with a sneer, "I want proof." He raised a camera, which caught the afternoon sun and glinted, looking very much like a killing bullet to Ternash. "Say cheese, freak."

_This can't be happening. I can handle idiots like these guys, but something like this will make it into the news. The entire world will know about me. _Steely fingers curled through his hair, forcing Ternash to look up at the grinning idiot. _My life is over. Even Ojiisan won't be able to find me a safe place to live._

Without warning, the camera-toting boy buckled and stumbled forward, barley catching himself before he hit the ground. Ternash turned his eyes along with the three boys to see Treize Khushrenada tossing another rock idly in one hand. "Let him go."

"Stay out of this old man." Treize hurled the rock with unerring accuracy to crash into the camera, shattering the lens. Ternash felt the arms supporting him slip away as the boys prepared for a retreat. _Cowards_, he thought bitterly. The leader turned to him, slamming a final punch into the neko's gut. With dismay, Ternash thought he heard something crack. "Your lovers won't always be here to save you," the boy hissed before running down the hill after his fellows.

Treize ran to Ternash's side even as the boy crumpled to the ground. "Neko! Are you all right? Say something to me."

But Ternash didn't look at the general, didn't even seem to notice as the older man lifted him onto his lap gently. His eyes were fixed at the base of the hill where a single figure was running towards them. "No . . . Duo . . ." His world turned to black as he fainted into Treize.

There you have it! Chapter three! Please review, I live for my fans. See you in about a week ^_^


	4. Back to School

Thank you for my lone review! After that weekend thingie, so many people posted back work, Neko got pushed down to like the fourth page in only two days! So I understand why there were no reviews, besides, Chara's reviews are always so fun, it's ok that I only got her's. Anyway, are you all ready for more of Treize being all evil and stuff? I want to make a note that, in the series, Treize is not nearly this evil – I think – but I've been reading a lot of fics where he's the main bad guy and they rubbed off on me. Oh well, anyways. I don't own the people, no matter how much I glomp and/or attempt to seduce them. Hope you like this chapie.

Warnings: Some more seduction/manipulation, though not much. A thought on keeping your word, no matter the situation. And some severe discrimination once he gets back to school, poor guy.

**

Duo drew his gun as he ran the final distance to his friend. He steadied his hand and placed the barrel against Treize's head. If only opportunities like this came along more often! The general smiled to himself as he scanned the neko's injuries carefully. He was as calm as ever, completely confident that Duo would not shoot him.

The silence dragged on until Treize shifted to stand up. The gun was forced into his temple with new strength and he relaxed his muscles. Duo glared at the older man, "Don't move or I blow your head off here and now, bystanders or no."

Treize spread his hands in a gesture of peace. "I cannot simply stay here. Neko needs to be treated, there's only so much I can do without bringing him somewhere safe."

Duo hesitated, pulling the gun back ever so slightly. "Then, uh, do what you can and then leave. Since you're helping him, I'll give you a head start."

Treize shook his head slowly. "At least one of his ribs is cracked and I'd be willing to bet his jaw is broken. If we don't bring him to a proper facility, he will suffer greatly and needlessly." The OZ general smirked as he felt the gun drawn away from his head. "Perhaps we could bring him to wherever you're staying. You're bound to have ample medical equipment."

"Che, like I'm crazy enough to lead you back to the others?"

"All right, then we'll go to my apartment. I should have the things I need." Treize stood, lifting Ternash easily into his arms. "You're welcome to come with me. For your friend's sake, of course." Duo hesitated again, then followed. 

The apartment wasn't exactly large, the couple of rooms were well furnished and tastefully decorated. Choosing a chair against a wall, Duo sat with his gun out and ready for anything. But he couldn't keep a low whistle of awe from escaping his lips. "Sugoi." He whispered.

"I'm glad you approve." Treize was careful and very slow as he set Ternash on the couch and rushed off to get the things he would need.

Duo stared at the sleeping boy. "Man, I don't blame you for warning him before. The general _seems_ like a really nice guy. Too bad."

"I'm glad you feel that way about me." Duo jumped a foot in the air at the general's unexpected voice and raised the gun to glare at the man. "Calm down. Duo, isn't it?" The pilot nodded slightly, lowering his weapon again. "I understand that you are nervous, but it would be a great help if you would put that thing away."

"Heh, and then the guards jump through the wall and tie me down, right?"

Treize smiled and shook his head. "I think we should consider this a truce. You and I shall do nothing to harm each other as long as we are both helping young Neko. Deal?"

Duo paused, then put away his gun. "Agreed. For the neko. Hn, he'd punch me out if he heard me call him that, you know."

"Yes, well, he didn't feel safe giving his real name to me, I guess."

"Naw, Neko _is_ his real name. He goes by something else, but he told me his parents called him Neko. He hates it though." They lapsed into silence and Duo watched as Treize tenderly cleaned out cuts and wiped away dirt. He flinched as the general removed Ternash's shirt to reveal a veritable landscape of contusions, already bruising dark purple. "Man, I guess he was right."

"Oh? About what?"

"I met him after those same bullies had roughed him up a little. At least I think it was them. He argued that it would have been a lot worse if they had known what he was. And look at that, he was right."

"Ah. Well, I guess you could say it looks worse than it is. This is going to hurt for a while, but only a few cracked ribs. You should have taken me up on that bet earlier. His jaw isn't broken." He lowered one hand to the neko's head, brushing the hair back gently.

Ternash let out a soft groan. "I'm not a cat, don't pet me." Treize was startled and pulled back a little. Emerald eyes blinked slowly open, struggling to focus on the figures before him. "General? Duo?! What's going on?"

Duo grinned and leapt off the chair. "Take it easy, buddy, you're with friends."

Treize disappeared for a moment, retuning with a glass of liquid. "Neko, here. Drink this, how are you feeling?"

Ternash took the glass and downed the tart juice, certain that medico mixed in could be blamed for the horrible taste. Then he looked up at Duo again. "What are you doing here?"

The American smiled. "Making sure this bozo doesn't try anything while you're hurt."

Treize touched the small boy's hand. "Neko, How are you feeling?"

Ternash looked down at his bandage wrapped chest with a frown. "I'll heal."

Treize frowned too and took Duo's arm, leading him slightly away. "I think he's all right to leave, but I'm still worried. Physically, he will heal, but . . ."

Duo glanced at Ternash, whose ears were twitching towards them. "He can hear you, you know." Treize kept his face neutral, but smiled inwardly, _I know_. Duo sighed. "I can watch out for him at school. And we can talk when we get home, right?"

Ternash nodded slightly, knowing the question was meant for him. He pushed off of the couch only to fall right back down. Treize moved to his side, helping the slight boy stand. He was careful to let Duo through the door first, pulling Ternash back slightly. "You don't have to go, you know. I'd be glad to have you stay here, Neko."

Ternash paused before shaking his head. "Thank you, General, but Duo is my friend."

Treize bent down and pressed a kiss to the boy's bruised cheek. "Then I hope you have a better day tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll be there again if you need help." Ternash blushed and pulled from the tall man to follow Duo in silence. Treize smiled as he closed the door. "Almost, Neko, you're almost mine."

**

Duo opened the door and, for once, acted gentlemanly, allowing Ternash to step inside before him. The two were immediately greeted by the other pilots' worried faces. Quatre took one look at Ternash and paled considerably. "Oh my goodness! Are you all right? I was worried so I sent Duo . . . what happened?"

Ternash glanced down at his chest. He had agreed to walk back to the house without covering his ears and tail only because it hurt too much to try and pull his shirt back on. He forced a smile as he looked at the worried Arabian. "I'll heal, it's not as bad as it looks."

"Where were you?" Heero asked in his typical steely fashion.

Duo bit his lip nervously. "Well, guys, you aren't going to like this, but when I found him, Treize was there. He treated him."

Heero didn't like it. He clenched his jaw and glared daggers at Duo. "Treize?"

He nodded slowly. "Well, yeah. Ternash needed to be brought somewhere, and I couldn't carry him back here without opening myself to the general's attack. So we went to his apartment."

WuFei's head spun from Ternash's injuries to Duo's face. "He actually led you to where he was staying?" The others mirrored the disbelief in the Chinese boy's voice.

Duo nodded slightly. "It was almost like he trusted me, or at least he was worried enough about Neko not to care."

Ternash let out a low growl. "Don't call me that."

"That's just what Treize calls you!" Duo said with an impish grin. As an afterthought he added, "Neko."

The American barely had time to jump away from Ternash's fist. The smaller boy drew in a sharp breath, surprised by how much such a small motion hurt. He resorted to glaring at the other boy since his body wouldn't allow much more. "Only Treize is allowed to call me that and that's only because he can't know my real name for security."

Trowa placed a hand on his shoulder, silently urging Ternash to calm down. Then he turned his eyes to Duo. "Could you find the apartment again?"

Duo nodded slowly. "But it wouldn't make a difference. Treize is no fool, he won't have stayed there. So, since it won't help us in the slightest . . . that is, I mean, I'd really rather not."

Heero blinked at him, incredulous. "You aren't going to show us where it is?"

"Well, you see, him and I kinda made a truce . . . thing. Since we were both there for Ternash, we agreed to forget the war as long as we were just dealing with him. He didn't attack me or follow us back here, so he kept his part of the bargain. I just kinda want to keep my word too is all."

Heero snorted and promptly left the room. Quatre smiled slightly at Ternash. "As long as you're all right. Why don't we eat, dinner's been ready for a while. It must be getting cold by now."

**

Ternash woke from sleep slowly, unwilling to leave the warm dreams behind. When his eyes were finally able to focus, the clock told him he had only an hour to get ready and walk to class. The other pilots were already at the table when he came down the stairs, tail and ears firmly hidden away. A plate of soft pancakes awaited him and Ternash greedily stuffed the fluffy circles into his mouth.

Heero and Wufei left well before he finished the meal, but the others kindly waited to walk with Ternash. Looking at Duo and Trowa's watchful expressions, he realized the escort was as much for company as it was for protection. Walking onto the campus, Ternash heard the whispers and small conversations fade out as he passed only to pick up with new intensity once he was gone. _Che' they aren't even waiting until we're out of earshot!_

Quatre gave the small boy a quick hug before hurrying off to his class. "Don't let them get to you. It's just rumors, ignore it."

Ternash nodded and followed Duo around the last few corners to their class. He settled into his seat and focused on the lecture, trying to ignore the whispers around him. Just before lunch, Ternash was called to the board to solve a math problem. He took up the chalk and quickly wrote out the necessary equations and discovered that 'x' was really 8. He bowed slightly to the teacher and turned to go back to his sat.

Ternash paled considerably. The entire class was deathly silent, all eyes focused on him. The color returned to his face in a rush, reddening his cheeks as he rushed to sit back down. He knew every eye was still on him and he quested for Duo's gaze. The American smiled at him slightly and Ternash smiled back. He could do this. As long as he kept telling himself that, he might be able to make it through the day.

The lunch bell sounded and Duo looked up from the manga he had been surreptitiously reading. He glanced at Ternash, ready to give the neko more support. Ternash sat slumped in his chair, eyes tightly fixed on the paper in front of him. He was making an effort to do his homework, but even from a distance Duo could see that his hands were shaking horribly.

The reason? Well, that was just as obvious. At least ten girls and several boys were clustered around his desk against the wall. They each wanted to see him; several asked if what they had heard was true. Duo let out a small gasp as one of them reached for Ternash's hair and got their hand slapped away with more than necessary force.

Still Ternash stared at his, by now, illegible homework. He nearly dropped his pen, his hands were so unsteady. One boy pushed his way to the front of the crowd and leaned close to Ternash's face. "So, are you like a freak of nature or did your parents have ears to? They're under the bandanna, right?"

Duo watched as the pen clattered to the ground and Ternash gripped the desk with both hands. The braided boy jumped out of his chair, intending to make the sensei stop this. He was surprised to see the sensei watching with interest, just as curious as her students. Disgusted, Duo ran from the room and down the halls. He came to the door of Trowa's class with a slight screech and nearly fell flat on his face. He probably would have if he hadn't been serious.

"Tro-man, you gotta come quick. It's Ternash, they're treating him like a zoo animal in there!"

The banged pilot rose from his chair. "My class has been talking about him all day. Poor guy."

Duo nodded and took off at a sprint back to his class. "I tried to find Fei or Q-chan, but they must have gone to get lunch already. I'm so glad you were there." They got to the room and both boys pushed their way through the crowd. Duo noted that it had grown and several of the people were upper-classmen, come from their own rooms to gawk.

Ternash had abandoned his work by now and had his head bent towards the desk, hands pressed on either side. He looked up as a familiar braid passed his field of vision and nearly cried as he recognized the two boys. Trowa gently grabbed Ternash's elbow and they hurried through the crowd that Duo was doing his best to part.

The questions still flew from every direction: Was this all a scam to get attention? How did it happen? Could they see his tail? Trowa managed to get outside into the fresh air with Ternash, who was crying in earnest now. He looked around for Duo, but the baka had gotten lost somewhere in the crowd. With any luck, he'd find Quatre before catching up with them; the Arabian really would be the best to handle this particular complication.

As if hearing his thoughts, Duo came bounding across the field closely followed by the blond pilot. The three boys sat in a circle around Ternash as he got himself under control. Duo ran off again to buy the slight boy some lunch while Quatre whispered reassurances to him despite his minor jealousy: Ternash had taken up a quite comfortable position leaning against Trowa and the tall boy wrapped strong arms around him. When Duo returned, it was with steamy, microwaved soup, and two more pilots.

Wufei knelt beside Ternash and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You can pull through this, you're strong enough."

Ternash gave a weak nod and took the soup from Duo. "This is why I didn't want to stay…" 

Quatre dug through his bag and pulled out a book he'd been reading. "Ternash, would you like to borrow this? It's very good, might take your mind off things."

Ternash took the book and glanced at the title. "A Spell For Chameleon?"

Quatre nodded, "It's about a boy who has to find his magical talent or be exiled from his home. It's about an outsider trying to fit in." Ternash met the boy's sunny smile with one of his own. Perhaps it would raise his spirits to at least read a fictional story where everything worked out in the end.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch and Duo cursed. "They should give us more time. Heaven forbid thy give us any more than the bare minimum required by law!" He and the others stood, Wufei helping Ternash to his feet.

Ternash looked around at the people hurrying back to their classes. Most were throwing curious glances in his direction, a few stopped to openly stare. Ternash pulled his wrist gently from Wufei's hand. "I'm sorry, but I can't go back in there."

Duo smiled and nodded. "Just head back to the house, or wait here for us if you'd prefer." He and the others left the neko under a tree with his thoughts.

**

Ah, my poor Neko-chan. *growling can be heard* Um, did I say Neko-chan? I, um, meant Ternash-kun! Yeah. Please review and I'll try to get the next chapter out next Saturday instead of an hour before Monday next week. Ja ne! ^_^


	5. Brunch

Chibi Duo and Chibi Heero appear on stage, each smiling hugely.

Heero: We are here for your entertainment.

Duo: To preview the chapter and give the disclaimer.

Heero: Kalanoa can't be here today –

Duo: Yeah, she's a little tied up right now. *starts giggling madly*

Heero: Ahem. Yes, she's busy with other things, so we're here to let you know she doesn't own any of Gundam Wing.

Duo: Or the cute bishies. Nope, my Wuffers!

Heero: *smacks Duo* You've had to much sugar, baka. Anyway, this chapter should be interesting. On with the show!

Duo: Huh? Show? Are Trowa and Quatre at it again? Where where? I wanna see!

Warnings: More of Treize seducing/manipulating my neko towards the end. Also discrimination and a bit of background. And loyalties are tested – and broken – but that's really more in next chapter. Can't wait ^_^

**

The wind whistled softly through the tree Ternash was still resting against. It was so quiet and peaceful, almost serene enough to make him forget his current problems. Almost. "Damn it!" The neko pounded the ground beside him. "I can't be here, not if they all know. Ojiisan has to let me leave." He sighed and leaned against the rough bark again. He had been trying to get in touch with Howard since the mission, but he still hadn't heard back.

He sat there, thinking about how his life had suddenly gotten completely out of his control. It was like the tighter he held on, the more slipped through his fingers, rather like trying to hold a thick fog in your hand. And all in the matter of a few days.

The bell to end class rang and Ternash looked back at the school building with disgust. One more period and the kids would be out for the day. He considered getting up and going back to the safe house before life had another chance to torture him. He decided against it, leaning back against the tree. He would much rather wait for the pilots and be with people who could be considered friends. Maybe they could go to a movie or get some ice cream, do something normal kids did. He smiled at the thought, none of them were normal and yet he was hoping to waste time like a regular teenager. The realization nearly made him laugh out loud.

The sound of soft footfalls snapped Ternash out of his daydream. He spun his head around to see a lean man walking across the grass towards him. Climbing to his feet, Ternash realized the man was a soldier. 

The young man stopped a few feet away and held out a paper. "An invitation from General Treize." Was all he said.

Ternash took the paper and quickly read it over. All it had was an address written in neat script followed by the words 'Anytime, I'm here'. Ternash looked at the soldier and thanked him before sitting back on the grass. An invitation. Ternash stared at the simple words for a long time. Surely this was a good thing. He could trust Treize.

But what about the others? If he gave this to Heero, it would be a wonderful help to them. Duo's words came to mind. _"We agreed to forget the war as long as we're just dealing with him."_ Ternash was connected to both sides of this war; he wouldn't betray either of them.

The final bell rang and Ternash's head shot up. Had he been sitting there that long? Time sure did fly. Shoving the small paper into his pocket, he climbed to his feet and looked for his friends to come out of the building. He was so busy watching for them, he didn't even notice as a girl came up behind him. Her hand had just brushed his shirt when Ternash spun on her. He stared, wide-eyed. "Don't touch me!"

The girl narrowed her eyes, reminding Ternash of a hawk that had just caught sight of its prey. "I just want to see if the rumors are true."

"Well, tough. Leave me alone."

Her eyes took on a 'sad puppy' quality. "Please?"

"No. Get lost"

Not taking the hint, the girl reached towards his bandana. Ternash dropped into a poor fighting stance and blocked the advance, sending both of their hands crashing into the thick bark of the tree. "You jerk! I can get you expelled for that!" The girl cradled her scuffed hand.

Ternash curled his own injured hand to his chest for protection and glared at her. "Good, I won't have to come back to this forsaken place." He was very aware of the small crowd gathering.

The girl growled ferally and barred her teeth, briefly causing Ternash to wonder if she was a cat too. She lunged for his bandana again. Opting this time to dodge, Ternash sent himself into the chest of another student. Dropping into a crouch, he decided there were too many people to stay on the ground. He uncoiled his powerful muscles and propelled himself into the air, just catching hold of the lowest tree limb – ten feet off the ground.

Ternash pulled himself up and looked back down at the crowd. A couple of them looked very mad at him, others were just curious and even now he could hear questions called up to him. Scowling, he jumped a few limbs higher and looked back at the main building of the school. It wasn't long before his sharp eyes caught the familiar braid bouncing up and down. Quickly scanning the area around Duo, Ternash caught sight of Trowa and WuFei too. There was no chance any of them could see him, but if they had any brains at all, they would see the crowd and figure it out. 

"Got ya!" One of the students had managed to get into the tree. She grabbed Ternash's ankle, startling the neko. He pulled away, momentarily forgetting there was no solid ground around him. He let out a cry as gravity reminded him of that horrible fact. Twisting, Ternash almost caught hold of another branch. Ternash was getting really tired of _almost_. The ground was going to very hard . . . 

But he didn't hit the ground. Ternash felt strong arms catch him and blinked in surprise to see Heero holding him. He mumbled a thank you before the stoic boy set him down, almost hard enough to send Ternash's backside to the ground despite the rescue. Heero turned his death glare on the crowd, keeping most of them at bay. The crowd even started dissipating after the others got there.

"Go on, ya bunch of vultures! Get out of here, leave 'im alone!" That was Duo for you.

Quatre appeared from the crowd and joined WuFei beside the neko, both wanting assurances that he was all right. Ternash nodded. "I'm fine, can we just go?" 

**

Ternash sat patiently still on the couch as WuFei checked his wounds from the day before. The bruises and lumps had faded and would probably disappear entirely in the next day or two. The Chinese youth couldn't believe how fast Ternash was healing, it must have been some feature that came along with his being part cat. _Part cat *demon*_ he reminded himself coolly. There was no other explanation.

Trowa's head appeared in the doorway. "Guys, Howard is on line. He's asking for Ternash."

The neko's eyes widened. "Really?" Trowa nodded and Ternash scrambled from his seat, not even waiting for WuFei to let go of his shoulder. The Chinese Pilot was almost dragged to his feet before he had time to react. Ternash ran to the computer, thrilled to see his grandfather's face as he neared the screen. He practical jumped into the chair. "Ojiisan!"

Howard's picture smiled. "It's good to see you, too, Ternash."

"I've been trying to reach you –"

"For nearly a week, I know. I'm sorry I haven't gotten back, but I had other things to worry about. Besides, I know that you must want to transfer, and I can't let you."

The transformation from joy to horror was almost instantaneous in Ternash. "What are you talking about? Why not?"

"I'm sorry, my boy. The last transfer raised some suspicion. If I move you again, it could expose you."

"I don't care, Grandpa, I can't stay here. Please!"

"Now Ternash. Don't be ridiculous. I simply can't do it."

There was a pause. "Well –"

"No! You are going to stay in school, you need a good education."

"Why? So when I'm better qualified for some job, I'm passed over because I'm a monster?!"

"Ternash . . ."

"You know it's true! You always say you would hire me, but you can teach me anything I need to know to work for you. School isn't going to make a difference; Grandma was never able to work. Why would it be any different for me?"

There was another stretch of silence. "I know it's hard, Ternash. I was with her every day until she died. I know what you are going through. But surely you don't want to leave? I mean, you have friend's here. That's more than you can say for anywhere else in your life."

Ternash smiled slightly. "You mean like the idiot whose eavesdropping on us?" Duo made a strangled noise and Ternash actually laughed. "I can smell you, baka."

Howard was laughing too. "Yes, friends like that. You don't really want to leave them behind, do you?"

"Well, no. But not all of the boys are friends. Heero hates me, Trowa's only putting up with me because Quatre likes me so much. Even Fei thinks I'm a demon."

"They're soldiers, I know they can be harsh at times. But you have Duo. And Quatre."

Ternash nodded, "And him too . . ."

"What was that, boy?"

"Uh, nothing." Ternash let out a sigh, sounding very defeated. "All right. I'll – I'll try. But I make no promises. The whole school knows! I might not be able to handle it."

Howard gave a resigned nod. "All right. Contact me if it gets too rough. Just as long as you promise to try. And I'll see what I can do about your records in the mean time."

Ternash smiled sadly. "I love you, Ojiisan."

**

Wednesday dawned bright and early, the sun smiling down on the world and birds singing their praises to the heavens. Ternash glowered out the window at nature's complete betrayal to him. It was supposed to be dark and gloomy when he was depressed like this. He detangled from the sheets and stumbled to the bathroom and then down the stairs. Breakfast was spent in near silence and Ternash knew something was up. He finished and looked at the others. "Are you guys ready?" he asked in a tiny voice.

Quatre looked up at him with a frown that looked so very out of place on his small face. "Someone will be going, Ternash, but we need to stay behind for a little while."

Ternash frowned. "You guys have a mission?" Quatre nodded and Ternash sighed. He turned to leave, waving farewell to his friends, and headed to the door. He grasped the handle and paused, memories of the previous day floating through his mind. He tightened his grip and tried once more to leave.

He opened the door before a thought occurred to him. At least one of the boys wouldn't be coming to school. What if it was Duo? Ternash didn't think he could make it through the day without the bubbly American in his class. He shut the door and turned, fully intending to wait for the others. He walked back towards the kitchen to tell them, but stopped when he heard their voices.

"It's a transport. Carrying supplies, mobile suits, and weapons. Three of us are supposed to go and destroy it before it reaches its destination."

Ternash undid his bandana to hear better and slid forward, curiosity too much for him. There was a pause before Heero spoke up. "Where's the intercept?"

"Here. It's at one of their fueling stops. We need to be there by noon."

"What about civilians?"

There was another pause and this time Duo replied. "We don't have specifics. But there're _bound_ to be some at a fueling station. It's simply unavoidable." There was definite regret in his voice and Ternash went back to the door feeling rather ill.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, not sure what to do, and pulled out the crumpled invitation. He looked at the paper for a moment before opening the door and hurrying outside. He walked the streets, following a route he knew would lead to the address he needed to find. He wouldn't tell the General about the mission – he couldn't betray his friends or his grandfather like that. But he couldn't go to school either, he needed somewhere safe. Someone to talk to and to help him feel better. And Treize was the only person he had.

Ternash found the house with little difficulty and was surprised to find it was very near the apartment he had been at only two days before. This was much more elaborate though. The house itself was rather large and it had a sweeping garden that decorated the side yard and certainly led into the back as well. A wrought iron gate separated the house from the street, and two guards stood just inside this barrier. Nervously, Ternash stepped towards the guards and drew their attention.

One guard saw him and stepped forward. The other trained his gun on Ternash. "Who are you and what is your business here?" The first guard asked, eyes playing over Ternash's uncovered ears.

Ternash chewed his lip nervously, unable to look away from the menacing guns. "I was, um, hoping to see the General. My name is Neko."

There was a tense moment before the soldier nodded. "Standing orders are for you to wait in the garden." He unlatched the gate and swung it open, bowing Ternash inside before shutting it with a clang. Ternash hurried to the back of the house, away from those guns.

Roses surrounded him as Ternash sat on a low stone bench. He watched in fascination as a humming bird lanced from one bush to another, gathering the sweet nectar as quickly as possible. A breeze ruffled the leaves and brought a fragrance to Ternash's nose that was not quite one of roses. He turned to see Treize standing amongst the flowers, watching him. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Ternash looked up at the man. "General?"

He smiled. "It is good to see you again, Neko. Glad to know you didn't betray me." He came and sat beside the boy. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"I can't go back there. I needed someone who wouldn't judge me." Treize made a sympathetic noise and wrapped his arms around Ternash, drawing him against his chest. "I shouldn't be here either."

"Nonsense. We have an agreement; I'm your friend. There is no reason you should not come to me when you're n trouble." He placed a hand on Ternash's head and paused. "Neko, I want your permission. I know you hate being thought of as a cat."

Ternash pressed against the hand and Treize ran the length of his hair. Ternash closed his eyes and relaxed. It was so comforting to be able to trust someone like this. Any reservations he had about the man melted away as a purr began deep in his throat. He wasn't sure how long he stayed there, just listening to the sound of Treize's heart and his gentle breathing. He may have even dozed off without realizing it. But the world came back into focus with a low growl from his stomach.

Treize smiled, lifting Ternash off his chest. "Are you getting hungry? I can have something ready in just a few minutes if you'd care to join me?" Smiling, Ternash followed the man into the small dining room of the house. Treize stepped into the kitchen, pulling things from the fridge and cabinets quickly. He set the food to be prepared and bent to retrieve drink for the modest brunch.

His fingers danced along the corked bottles, looking for the perfect one. His mouth twisted into a smile as he found it; a light, fruity wine. It was very potent, even to his built up immunities, and sweet enough that a child would love it [1]. He pulled the bottle and poured a hefty glass for Ternash and another for himself. He had the boy's trust; all that was left was to loosen his tongue a little.

Less than ten minutes later, Treize was setting the small meal in front of his guest. He sat opposite the boy and served them both, ever playing the gracious host. "Might I suggest a toast?" Ternash hesitantly lifted his glass and Treize smiled greasily. "To a speedy end to the war."

"A speedy end to the war," Ternash echoed before gulping a good mouthful of the sweet wine. He smiled, "This is pretty good." He took another drink. "What kind of juice is it?"

Treize murderously stifled the laughter building in his chest. "It is a combination, some grape, some apple, I believe." The child took another sip, widening the general's smile. The conversation continued amiably enough, Treize slowly guiding their thoughts towards the boys and the war. Finally, more than half of the neko's glass empty, Treize reached his goal. "It would be so simple to end this war, if not for those blasted pilots."

He watched as Ternash processed the information much more slowly than he should have. He swayed slightly before nodding uncertainly, "You could stop the killing if they were stopped?"

Treize spoke slowly, making sure each of his words penetrated the wine induced fog of the other boy. "If they were caught, it would save hundreds. It could possibly end the entire war."

There was a long pause. "There's a train . . ." Treize nodded, knowing immediately that he had won. "It will stop to, refuel? At noon? That sounds right . . ."

Treize stood from his seat and leaned over so that his nose nearly brushed his guest's. His breath fanned over Ternash's lips, bringing a distinct blush to his cheeks. Or rather, increasing the blush already there from the alcohol. "Thank you."

Ternash swayed slightly, his body reacting to the other man's actions and further decreasing his ability to think straight. "For . . . for what?"

Treize brought his lips over to breath against the base of his fuzzy ear. "You may have just won this war for me." He nipped lightly at the sensitive skin at Ternash's forelocks, sending shivers down the boy's spine. Slowly, he traced kisses down his neck and across his collarbone to a chorus of pleasured noises. He glanced up, noticing as the moans ceased, the deep, even breaths of his new toy. Ternash, his entire face flushed now, was fast asleep, the alcohol finally too much for his system. "I was wondering how long you would last. Not that I would have minded getting a little further."

He let out a soft sigh of regret before lifting the phone. He was reaching to dial the fueling station when a young private entered. "General, sir," he saluted sharply. "There seems to be a problem. Someone at the apartment, demanding to speak with you. We believe it's the pilot of Gundam 02."

Treize smiled. "Duo. I will see him after I make a call. Dismissed."

**

[1] Can you tell? I know absolutely nothing about wine. Oh well.

So this is it. It begins to get interesting, ne? Please send me your comments, I love you all!^_^


	6. Friends and Enemies

*Kalanoa breaks out singing and bouncing like the white rabbit* I'm late, I'm late! Forgive me for that random Alice in Wonderland, but I'm a little crazy right now. I was locked up for a while by some very bad chibis.

*Chibi Duo and Chibi Heero are on the side, tied up* Duo: We gave you entertainment!!

Kalanoa: Well, yes, Hiei was nice. But do you know how hard it is to get a fire demon to relax and let me enjoy him? Anyway, sorry for the lateness, readers. I've given up on posting on the weekend, I'll post Mondays from now on. See you next chapter.

Warnings: Minor cursing and betrayal – told you there'd be more this chapter. Just wait till the next one . . .

Duo stood in front of the appartment building looking very much like the crazed terrorist he was supposed to be. He had to admit that announcing his presence and then letting himself be cornered by the enemy was the stupidest idea he had had in a while, but some things were more important. "Where the _hell_ is Treize!? I want to see him now! Get the blockheaded, thinks he's all that, manipulative bastard out here this second!"

The soldiers were thouroughly confused by Duo's demands, especially since they seemed to have the advantadge. Then again, every time one of them got close enough to do any damage to the teen, they ended up limping away with a bullet in thier knee or shoulder. Finally they had had no choice but to inform the general.

And speaking of the general . . . "What's going on?" Treize pushed past the various soldiers until he was planely visible by the angry pilot. "Duo, what are you doing?"

"Where is he?"

Treize sighed slightly. "Where is who?"

"You know damn well who! Ternash! He never got to school."

"You mean Neko?" Duo cursed, realizing he'd blown his friend's cover. "He's at another of my residences."

"Well, take me to him!"

"Impossible."

"Why the _hell_ not?!"

Treize shook his head, his voice taking on the quility of explaining the obvious to a child. "The same reason you would not lead me to your house. Abbandoning a temporary apartment like this is no big deal, but I _live_ there."

Duo faltered, frustration inhibiting his logic abilities. "Well, then go get him and bring him back here."

"Impossible." Duo faught very hard not to shoot the OZ general right then. "He was asleep when I left. I won't wake him just to appease you."

Duo took a few paces to the left, then to the right. Treize smiled at the boy's annoyance. "Go back home, I shall send Ternash when he awakens. Besides, you really don't have time for this."

Duo frowned. He was fairly certain that Treize would honor their truce and let him leave safely, but still . . . "What do you mean, I don't have time?"

"Well, the other pilots must have reached the station by now."

"What does that have to do with any –" Duo stopped, paleing as he comprehended the words and Treize's smug, arrogant smile. "OH SHIT!!!!" He sprinted towards the safe house, no longer concerned with whether or not he'd be followed. 

By the time he reached it, his lungs burned and there was a sharp pain in his side. Still he ran. He flung the door open, not quite clearing the stoop. Duo landed with a thud on the floor, a nasty scrape appearing along his jaw line. Trowa gave his friend a confused glance as Duo picked himself up and continued to race past. He ran through the house and out the back, into the forest where the Gundams were safely hidden. He hauled himself into his cockpit, caughing from lack of air, and flipped on the radio. "Heero! Fei! Please respond!"

Trowa peered into the open cockpit as Duo waited with held breath, listening to the static on the other end of the line. An eternity seemed to pass before Quatre's voice crackled to life. "We're a little busy, Duo. There's a lot more resistance than we expected."

"I know!" Duo cried, terror still racing through his veins. "It's a trap, Quatre. You guys have got to get out of there! He knew you were coming!"

More silence, broken by the sounds of battle and more than a couple cries as hits found their mark. Heero's voice came this time, "What do you mean? How could they have known?"

"Ternash didn't go to school when he left. He was with Treize."

A soft curse could be heard. "All right, we're pulling out."

Duo nearly collapsed with releif and switched off his comm. Trowa could see the anger in Duo's eyes as the pilot climbed back out of Deathscythe. "Duo, are you certain -?"

The braided pilot's eyes were hard as stone and fire. "Ternash betrayed us, Trowa. We'll have to deal with it when he gets here." He slid to the ground and began the trudge back to the house. "I think we can expect a raid soon, we have to get ready to move out." Trowa nodded mutely and followed.

Ternash walked the route to the safe house slowly. It was after noon, no point in going to school now – and besides, his head was killing him. He was quite certain that somehow a complete mobile suit battle had shrunk and taken up his brain as a battle field. He reached the safe house and pushed the door open gently. Crawling inside, he found the couch and made himself a nice little nest to sit in, trying to forget the pounding of his temples.

He could hear Duo's voice in the kitchen. "I can't believe it! He actually came back here, that bastard!" Ternash's brow wrinkled. Why did Duo sound so upset? He had gone to Treize, but the American had said that he understood about his friendship with the general. So why the sudden change of heart?

Trowa made a hushing noise. "He likely thinks we don't know. Keep your voice down."

Ternash shook his head in confusion, then groaned as the motion apparently signaled another attack of his headache. He decided to just relax and try to get through the migrane.

Less than an hour passed before the door opened again, this time with a violent bang that startled the neko from his nap. Duo and Trowa seemed to materialize in the living room, guns drawn and ready. Quatre walked into the room first and was immediately caught up by his lover in a clearly releived hug. Heero entered next, a grim look on his face.

Duo craned his neck to look out the door, then focused on Heero. "Where's WuFei?"

Heero's scowl deepened and he hung his head slightly. "Mission . . . failed."

Quatre pushed Trowa away slightly to take pity on his friend. "One of us had to stay behind, so that the others could get away safely."

Duo's world shattered and he shook his head slightly. Disbeleiving tears ran down his cheeks as he sunk to the floor. "God, no . . . Fei."

Heero noticed Ternash watching them and rage suddenly filled his eyes, though his face remained set in stone. In the space of a second or so, he was infront of the neko. Ternash gulped slightly. "Heero? I –" he stopped as, abruptly, he was staring into those cobalt eyes past the barrel of a gun. "H-heero?" He watched as his finger tightened slowly on the trigger, unable to turn away.

"Don't shoot him, Heero. We need to try and get information, find out what he's told."

Heero leveled his gaze on Trowa. "Then what do you propose we do?"

The banged pilot moved to the terrified cat. He forced his hands behind him, securing them tightly with a pair of handcuffs. "He'll have to come with us. We're expecting a raid, we have to move out now."

Heero stood motionless for a moment. Finally, he put his gun away and nodded. "Let's go." He  brought his hand down with crushing force on Ternash's neck, sending him into black oblivion once again.

Well, there it is. I feel bad making you wait so long for such a short chapter. Oh well. It's my revenge for not getting any reveiws last chappie. So I'd better get some this time! (I know you just didn't see it, ne guys?) and I'll see you all again next Monday.


	7. The Wine Made Me Do It

Grrr. I'm late. Again. And for a nother short chapter too. Grrrrrrrr. First, I don't own Gundam Wing. Second, I'm still lacking in reveiws so I can blame lateness on that. That and ff.net was down Monday. Third, I want to state again that I don't think Treize is actually as mean as I make him out to be. But he makes such a _good villain. All right, anyway, this is the next chappie._

Warnings: a lesson on trust (I feel so moral-y), some cursing, I think, and we're starting to get into the yaoi-ful goodness a bit more. ^_^ enjoy!

**

Ternash groaned loudly as he woke from his nightmares. He took stock of his surroundings and groaned again as he realised the events of that day had not been part of the horrible dreams. He was in a forest somewhere, seated at the base of a huge ash tree, his hands still bound tightly behind him. Heero and Trowa were a short distance away, talking with a very out of breath Duo.

"It's confirmed, they practically destroyed the safe house."

Heero frowned, "We just contacted the scientiss. They're setting up another place for us, they'll tell us as soon as it's ready."

Duo nodded. "What are we going to do about Ternash?"

"He's awake." Trowa leveled his gaze on the neko, face set in an angry scowl.

Ternash gulped, his headache suddenly back at double the strength. The pilots turned away, dropping thier voices to continiue thier conversation. Heero made a motion for his gun, and for a terrible moment, Ternash thought he was going to be shot right then. But the Japanese pilot only fingered the piece of metal, didn't even draw it. They turned back to him, identical pissed expressions on each face.

Duo strode to his side and backhanded the neko. "That was for WuFei, you bastard!"

He was about to strike again, but Trowa caught his hand. The silent boy turned to Ternash. "What else did you tell him, or I let Duo go."

Ternash looked away, shaking his head. "I swear, I wouldn't betray you."

"Liar! You've been caught, you may as well admit it!" Duo faught to break free of Trowa's grip.

The taller boy dragged him out of range and Quatre approached the neko, showing himself for the first time. He reached forward and cupped his jaw tightly. Ternash tensed up, expecting his very near end. The blonde was motionless for a moment before standing and going to the others. "Duo, please try and calm down. I don't think he betrayed anyone."

Duo was practically in tears again. "How can you protect him, Q? Fei is probably dead because of him!"

Quatre shook his head. "I'm not saying he's not to blame. But have you even smelled his breath? If he told Treize anything, he was drunk when it happened."

Duo took a moment to calm down then turned to the neko. "Is that true?"

Ternash faught to remember what had actually happened at the general's home. He shook his head, "I don't know." He stiffened as the braided boy approached him again, leaning right into his face.

Duo pulled back suddenly. "Man, you _do reek." He plopped onto the ground in quiet thought (Wow, a Duo first!), the target of his fury taken away. "Well, what are we going to do now?"_

Heero hadn't taken his eyes off of Ternash. Finally, he spoke again. "I'd be willing to bet that WuFei is still alive. But we have no idea where he is."

Duo made a choked noise. "Not helping, buddy."

Heero's gaze hardened, but didn't shift. "Treize would know."

Quatre nodded, suddeny happy again. "Ternash, could you make Treize think you were still on his side?"

Heero nodded. "Exactly. Find out where Fei is and contact us. Can you do it?"

Ternash took a shaky breath as a half memory of Treize's lips on his skin came to mind. He shivered and nodded. "I'm sure I can make him trust me. I have to help Fei, any way I can."

Heero produced a small radio and tucked it into Ternash's pocket. "Call as soon as you know anything." He paused, looking thoughtful. "Treize would never believe you got away so clean. Sorry, cat." The next thing Ternash saw was Heero's fist, close up. He growled slightly at the pilot as his handcuffs were finally released. He ran into the forest, cursing Heero Yuy and swearing that he would make things right again.

**

From one set of guns to another. It had taken more than an hour to find his way back to Teize's home and once there, Ternash was immediately greeted by hostile looking guards. With really big guns. They didn't tie him up at all, but three of these guards were escorting him up the walk of the house. Ternash glanced at the two guards behind him nervously. Anything would be better than this; what if Treize _didn't_ trust him and he'd just fled to his executioner? Duo would have probably thought his tears were good showmanship, to bad they were involuntary.

A flicker of movement caught the neko's eye and he paused in mid step. There, surrounded once again in the roses of the side garden, stood Treize. Ternash consciously made himself look releived. He broke from the guards and ran straight into the general's chest, giving himself over to the tears. Treize waved off the armed escort and wrapped his arms around the neko as he muttered calming words to him. Despite everything, it felt good to be held like this. It felt wonderful to be safe.

Except, of course, that he was anything but safe.

Treize led his guest inside and immediately up to his bedroom. _I guess he's had enough playing hard to get. It was more than clear to Ternash what the older man wanted. Treize sat the boy on the edge of the bed and knelt in front of him. "You look horrible, what happened?"_

_You know damned well what happened, you jerk!_ "The pilots, they . . ." He didn't finish, not quite sure how to put it to make himself seem the victim.

But Treize seemed to understand anyway; after all, the only reason he let Ternash leave at all was so that the pilots would do exactly what they did. He rose and strode to the adjoining bath room. "Perhaps you should get cleaned up. At least wash yourself off."

Ternash stood and followed into the large, porcelin coated room. "Yes, a nice bath would be wonderful right now." Ternash removed his bandanna as Treize started the water. He wasn't lying, a bath was exactly what he needed to calm his nerves. He thanked Treize as the other man stepped out of the room, and continiued to undress and then slide into the steamy water.

He didn't spend too long boiling the dirt off, just enough that he was clean again and a little more relaxed. He pulled the drain on the tub and stood to towel himself off. He cast a glance to where he had left his clothes piled on the floor and froze. His clothes were gone. Treize must have slipped in without the neko realizing it. In their place was a small, soft robe. It appeared to be made of some sort of satin the color of deep red roses, and trimmed in fluffy feather looking pink stuff along the sleeve cuffs and the neck line. Nothing else to wear, Ternash hesitantly put the skimpy garment on. It fell just above his knees, and barely closed enough in front to hide his chest. Ternash gulped, realizeing that he had been manipuated by the smooth talking general. Again.

He towel dried his hair as best he could and then put it up in the towel. It was strange how, when dry, his covered ears could hear so much better than when wet. Just another factor that gave the general that much more of an advantadge. It was time to face Treize. Ternash took a step towards the door and grimaced as the robe brushed across his groin. Treize had certainly choosen this particular garment for a reason. He continued, trying to find a way to walk without his senses being stimulated in such a – given the circumstances – unpleasant way. This mission was not going his way at all.

Treize was waiting by the window for the neko. He had changed as well though he was still properly dressed. It simply wasn't quite as formal as his normal crisp uniform. He turned, brushing a stereo system as he did so and filling the room with soft, tasteful music. "Ah, you look wonderful like that. I hope you don't mind, your clothes were just as dirty as you were. That's all I could find for you."

Ternash highly doubted that, but didn't comment. "It's nice, a little . . . um, small . . . but nice."

Treize had his most charming smile fixed in place as he approached Ternash. "The next song is one of my favorites, would you care to join me?" He caught up both of the slight boy's hands, giving him no choice but to begin the slow waltz as the song shifted. "I'm glad you came back, you know."

Ternash nodded, feeling his cheeks burn being so close to the general with so little between them. "I learned that they were not truly my friends. Not like you." This was his time to shine, Ternash had rehearsed this little speech all the way over here. "They practically attacked me, they _did attack me and I still don't know why. Just because I came to see you, I suppose."_

He could hear Treize chuckle, no doubt happy that his scheme had worked. "Well, a true friend would be there for you no matter who else you saught comfort from. I certainly don't hold your friendship with them against you."

"Ex-friendship," Ternash corrected. At least this was going well. "I hope I never see them again." He paused, resting his head on Treize's chest and seemingly allowing himself to calm down. "Well, that's not true."

"Oh? You do want to see them?" He stroked Ternsh's hair gently.

"Well, not them, exactly. WuFei. He was always kind to me despite everything and I feel I owe him a goodbye."

He waited, forcing himself to breath, to see if Treize would take the bait. "I'm sorry." Ternash let out a sigh despite himself. "WuFei is a prisoner now, I simply can't let anyone know where he's being held or it might get back to the others."

Ternash looked up into the man's eyes. "You think I would tell them? You don't trust me?"

Treize bent down to meet Ternash's lips with his own. "I can't simply tell you. But . . . perhaps like our first meeting, we could work out a trade."

Ternash blinked up at him. "What kind of trade?"

Treize released one of Ternash's wrists. He reached up and tugged gently on the towel, causing it to fall over the neko's eyes and then caught up his wrist again. He was silent for a while, forcing Ternash to continue dancing blind. Finally the song came to an end and so did the two men. Treize leaned over, resting his chin on the smaller boy's shoulder. He breathed against his neck, sending shivers down his spine. "You know what I want, little one."

Abruptly, the general was gone and Ternash reached a shaky hand up to shift the troublesome towel, letting it simply fall to the ground around his ankels. Treize was walking away to come to sit on his bed. Ternash gulped, staring at the clearly seductive pose. He knew his body was reacting, even if his mind was screaming at him to run away. He gulped again, suddenly finding the floor fascinating. How could he do something like this? Even to help WuFei, it was too much.

**

Will he do it? Will he save Fei? Or is his pride too high? Or maybe, I'm just _really evil to leave off right here. Anyway, shock of shocks, Duo was being stupid and Q-chan figured it out. I feel bad for Ternash, I'm getting into the really torture-y-ness of this fic. I promise an extra long chapter next time, mostly because there's no good spot to cut it short. I'll see you then._

Oh, and I'd **BETTER** get some reveiws on this. Ja matta ne! ^_^


	8. Battle

I'm telling you, it's the reviews! Here I am, actually updating on time for the first time in a few weeks, and it's all because of the reviews – actually got 2 last chapter. I was wondering where you'd been, Chara. And look, I even remembered to run spell check this time!

Warnings: Well, one thing is that Heero is a little out of character – his part during this chapter was originally written for another OC, so bear with me. There's still a bunch of cursing, and lots of violence since they're going on a mission. Also, death? Well, not really, but it's close. Poor Ternash.

**

Ternash dug through the clothes hamper; deep, even breaths coming from the bed behind him. Finding his jeans, the neko tugged them on and fished the small radio out of his pocket. He paused, hardly able to see the buttons through his own tears. It was already tuned to reach the others; he just had to turn it on. "He-hello?" His voice shook horribly, cracking until it was almost unrecognizable.

There was static for a moment, then Heero's gruff baritone. "Ternash?"

"Yeah, it's me. I got it." He waited for Heero to respond, then sat in a chair at the desk in the room. "WuFei is being held at the East Harbor base."

Heero grumbled loudly on the other end of the line. "That's some forty miles from here! All right, fine. Is there any way you could get specifics on the base?"

Ternash fought back another wave of sobs and reached over to boot up the computer. "I'll see if I can access any files."

He could hear someone else in the background, probably Duo, as he typed. Another sob caught in his throat as Heero told the other voice that something was wrong. _Even Heero can tell! Thank the Gods it's not Quatre on the line._ Ternash could hardly bear to talk with the stoic pilot, he couldn't imagine what he would have done if the empathetic blonde had answered. Finally, the desktop beeped to life. _Hmm, no password. I guess only people he can trust ever get into his bedroom anyway. He opened a few choice files and relaxed at his success. "Heero? I think this is the blueprint, I can save it to disk if you'd like."_

"Yeah, try and find details on security if you can. Meet back here as soon as possible."

Ternash couldn't stop another sob. "I won't be long." He turned off the radio and leaned close to the screen, trying to read the tiny printed names through his tears. "Where are the holding cells? Where are you, Fei?"

A strong, long fingered hand brushed past Ternash's head to point at one of the rooms. Ternash jumped and spun to look at Treize. "How . . . you . . . how long have you been there?"

There was no hint of a smile on the general's face. "I'm a light sleeper, Neko-chan." His hand traced down to snatch the radio out of Ternash's hand. "I am sorry it worked out this way. But I can always get another play thing."

Ternash caught his breath, trying very hard not to let his tears blind him completely. He tried to pull away, but Treize easily caught both of his shoulders and held him tight. He froze, unable to think how to get away from the powerful man. "Wh-what are you going to do?"

Ternash was almost afraid to hear the answer as Treize sprouted a truly evil grin. "I may enjoy myself a bit more, for now." He kissed Ternash, forcing his lips apart with his tongue. Ternash stiffened, trying to push away without success.

When Treize finally released him to come up for air, Ternash sank back in the chair, willing it to scoot away from the general of its own will. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears streaming down his cheeks. At least he had gotten the information to the boys, they knew where Fei was and that was the whole point of this mission. Treize kissed him again, hands running over the neko's bare chest. Ternash sobbed into the other's mouth, trying again to pull away. "Stop fighting me, it's pointless. Unless you'd rather go straight to the holding cells."

Ternash felt a light sting in his fingertips. His eyes widened as he realized it was his claws, drawn out by the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He was still for a moment, allowing Treize to continue his ministrations. Carefully, Ternash put one hand to Treize's cheek. With a sudden burst of strength and speed, he dragged his claws down and across, leaving deep gashes. Treize howled and pulled back, giving Ternash just enough room to slip past. "You won't be able to get out!"

The general's words made Ternash pause. Well, not that he had been going anywhere exactly; he knew the guards would be waiting at the door if he went that way. Catching sight of the open window, Ternash made his decision. He leapt down from the second floor to tumble across the hard ground below. He wasn't hurt though, cats always landed on their feet. He could hear Treize's angry cursing from above him but didn't dare lose the few precious seconds needed to look back. As fast as he could, he scaled a tree by the garden wall and was out. He raced down the streets, taking temporary refuge in the occasional store or gas station. It seemed he'd gotten away without being followed, but he still attracted plenty of attention. Ears and tail unhidden, bare cheasted, and extremely panicked; Ternash wasn't something you saw every day. He took off again, flying down the roads and into the small forest just outside of town.

The trees were everywhere and it was no time before Ternash was hopelessly lost in the light woods. His foot caught a stray root and the neko went tumbling to the ground; he made no attempt to get up. Perhaps if he just lay there long enough, he could die and be happy. He could feel tears sliding off his nose to splash onto the dry leaves coating the forest floor. Sniffing, he shifted into a slightly more comfortable position. Yes, he would just lie here until the world forgot he even existed.

The sound of footsteps on the dry undergrowth caused Ternash to look up. For a horrible moment he thought Treize had somehow found him. "Are you all right? Ternash?" The neko found himself staring up at Trowa. The taller boy offered a hand and hauled the neko to his feet. Ternash furiously wiped at his eyes as he was led to the Gundam boys' camp. He was used to crying now and then, with his life it was a necessity or he would explode, but hardened warriors like these boys would certainly frown on such things.

The boys were sitting each in front of their respective mobile suits when Ternash was led up to them. Heero glanced at him with a frown, almost concern, before busying himself with whatever it was he held in his hands. Quatre and Duo were both silent. They looked sullen, pitying, as if they knew what had happened. Ternash glanced around, not really knowing what for. His tears began anew as he realized he was searching for the fifth face that should be greeting him. But that was ridiculous. WuFei was gone, that was the whole reason he was in this mess.

Ternash stood for a while, the boys watching him in tactful silence as he cried, leaning against Trowa. Finally Heero stood. He approached Ternash with gentleness many would have thought beyond him. Laying a hand on the cat's shoulder, Heero gave him a comforting squeeze. "Were you able to get the base plans?"

Ternash gave a shuddering sob and tried once again to cease his piteous crying. He shook his head, "I was barely able to get away. I'm sorry."

Heero made no motion of disapproval, no angry sound. His eyes seemed to shine with understanding, even while his face remained rigid and unfeeling. He turned away and made a frustrated noise. "How on Earth are we supposed to find him?"

Ternash wiped his eyes and sniffed repeatedly. "I wasn't able to get anything, but I know where he is. I think – I think if I went along, I should be able to find him."

Heero looked slightly surprised, then nodded. "We'll start work on a plan right away then. When you're ready, come find me. You're a pretty good strategist and I want your input."

Ternash sniffled again and went to sit and munch on a ration bar. Carefully Quatre came over to sit beside him. "Ternash?" He touched one hand to his shoulder; so comforting. Just exactly how Treize had done so many times now. Ternash flinched away from the touch almost violently and Quatre pulled back. "What happened? Did you . . ." He trailed off, not wanting to voice his suspicions aloud.

"I did what was necessary for the mission. I had to, there was no other choice." Ternash sniffed again, confirming the blond boy's assumption and went back to his impromptu meal. It was going to be a very long couple of days.

**

Deathscythe stood patiently waiting for the signal. He didn't like this plan, he just had a bad feeling about it. He, Trowa, and Quatre were going to draw as many troops away from the base as possible while Heero and Ternash slipped inside and tried to get WuFei. It was a good plan, considering that this base was far more prepared for a battle than the last one they'd attacked. Not to mention that Ternash had told them Treize was sure to have warned them about the attack. He sighed heavily, casting a glance further south where Trowa waited, then towards the north where Sandrock should be. Duo had a bad feeling about this plan. And sitting around waiting wasn't helping any.

Far below the pilots, Ternash was slinking towards the base, Heero just behind him. The two stepped lightly through the buildings until the first guard patrol could be seen. "All right," Heero whispered gruffly, "Give the signal and I'll take them out." The stoic pilot watched as Ternash shoved the flare gun he carried into the boy's chest and surged forward. "What are you doing! You're going to get yourself killed!" Heero tried to grab the small boy, but missed and was helpless as he ran in to fight.

Trowa glanced over the monitors in his cockpit, this was taking longer than he had expected. Had they maybe been caught? If they had, this whole plan was up in smoke and they were in worse trouble than they'd started in. A flash of light caught his eye. It wasn't the flare they were waiting for, but gunfire on the outskirts of the base. He snapped his radio on, knowing the others wouldn't be able to see what he could. "Quatre, trouble. I see gunfire over here; something's gone wrong!"

"Gunfire? Are you sure? We have to go with the plan . . . if we can draw their attention –"

"It would make no difference if they've already been captured. Damnit!" Duo cursed loudly, a hint of panic edging his voice. "All right, try to give them some more time, but we can't wait any longer." Deathscythe sprung to life, desperately hoping for the other boys' safety. But they had to fight, if they just waited, it wouldn't help anybody. Suddenly a flare streaked across the sky. The signal, it was still a go. Duo breathed a relieved sigh. "Way to go, Heero."

Alarms blared all around the two boys on the ground. "What the hell were you thinking!" screamed Heero as they ran top speed through the base. Several soldiers were still on their heels and Heero was emptying clip after clip over his shoulder.

"I was thinking that if I distracted the guards that weren't focused on the Gundam battle, you could get Fei and get out!"

"Bull! You were thinking that if you got yourself killed you wouldn't have to deal with any of it anymore. We're lucky I still got off the signal and now our job's going to be twice as difficult!"

Ternash kept his mouth shut, avoiding the other boy's gaze as they ran. What could you say to the truth? "Why the hell didn't you just go? The mission is to get Fei, not waste time."

"I'm not going to just abandon you, no matter how much you want me to. Besides, you're the one who knows where he might be, not me."

A very audible growl slipped from Ternash's throat. He opened his mouth, and promptly shut it as a missile contacted with the building to their right. "Shit! The battle's getting pushed too close. We have to hurry."

Heero glared at the running neko's back. Sure, _now he was all business._

**

WuFei tugged uselessly at the leather straps over his wrists. Damnit, he _had_ to get loose! This was all just a big setup, he had to get out and protect his fellow pilots. If any one of them came bursting in here . . . He felt an explosion nearby and cursed again, chewing at the gag in his mouth. Damnit!

The restraints cut savagely into his wrists, too tough to break. Not from this angle anyway. He struggled to see through the darkness, anticipating the chaos that was about to ensue. From outside came the sound of gunfire. "Steady men, not a word. Get in position." Fei could here the sound of a dozen or so troops shuffling around in the darkness. **Damnit!**

**

Ternash dodged the bullets that seemed to track his every movement. They had to find WuFei. Heero was furiously returning fire, but the sheer numbers were making it difficult. He ducked into yet another hallway after Ternash. "This would be a lot easier if I could stop and aim, you know!"

"I can smell blood. I think we're almost there." He reached for the doorknob of the door he'd come to. If Treize had told the truth, this should be the room . . .

Heero twirled to the new sound of bullets. He jumped back from the doorway as Ternash stumbled into the wall behind him and slumped to the ground. "Cat!" This was bad, this was so incredibly bad! Soldiers seemed to pour from the room and Heero decided to retreat and find cover. He had to survive this or he couldn't help anyone.

WuFei blinked from the light that poured from the hallway. After his eyes adjusted, Fei could clearly see Ternash lying on the floor. He struggled against his bonds again, trying to cry out to the fallen boy. Slowly, Ternash lifted himself off the ground and stumbled into the room and over to Fei. "Don't worry."

The cat only managed to undo one of the straps before falling to the ground again. WuFei tore the other restraints away and bent to check on him. Ternash was not doing well. He patted the boy down and located a small radio. Flipping it on, he screamed into it, "Who the hell is on the other end of this thing?"

Duo's voice came through the static. He sounded very distracted, but also very happy. "Fei? Is that really you? They found you! Thank god."

"You've got to get out of there," came Trowa's angry voice. "We're having trouble keeping a safe distance. If you don't hurry, you're going to end up going down with the base."

"No, Ternash is hurt bad. There's no way I can get him out alone, I can barely walk." If the pain was any indication, Fei's own leg was broken. 

"Where's He-kun? He went in with Ternash."

"Well, he's not here now! I think he's running from the guards. They were expecting you; I heard something about orders from Treize. Oh shit!"

Trowa stared at his comm as it went silent. He returned his attention to the battle raging around him, but kept one eye on the silent radio. "Q-chan, what just happened?"

"You lost him too? I was hoping it was just my comm."

Duo glared death at the silent box beside him and fought to keep his hysterics down. "This is so incredibly bad! What do we do now, there's no way to know if they're still alive!" He couldn't help his voice cracking as he finished the thought. He had been so close to getting Fei back!

"Worry about what's in front of you first. That's all we can do right now."

**

Heero leaned around the corner, bringing himself three more bodies closer to victory. He leaned out again and shot down another four, this was taking way too long! He needed to get back to Ternash _now. He didn't know how bad the neko was hurt. Finally, the last soldier fell and Heero practically jumped down the hallway back the way he had come._

WuFei stood in front of Ternash, barely able to support his own weight and trying to keep the soldiers back. He didn't know how long he could keep this up and there was nowhere to run, no way to get away. Suddenly, one of the troops went down, then another. The others fell just as quickly to reveal Heero, flushed and panting. "There's more headed this way, we've got to move."

"Help me with him, he's not very awake." Fei motioned towards Ternash and the Japanese youth scooped him into his arms.

Ternash shook his head, bringing a grimace of pain. "Leave . . . Leave me."

Fei stared hard at him. "Not even if you were an enemy."

The three of them hurried away, just missing the bullets yipping at their heels. They spotted a small garage and dashed inside to find a few trucks. Quickly, Heero jumped into the bed of one truck, lying Ternash down as gently as he could manage. Fei struggled into the cab and fought with his injured leg, eventually having to work the pedals clumsily with his left foot.

Heero fumbled with the radio in his hand while trying to steady Ternash at the same time. He finally managed to click it on as WuFei tore out of the base. "We're out guys, get the hell out of there. Meet up with us right away." He waited for the affirmative replies before switching the device off and focusing on Ternash. He was unconscious now, still bleeding heavily. Heero let out a sigh of regret, Ternash wasn't even supposed to be involved in this. The neko had planned this mission without intending to come out of it alive. The trees raced past as WuFei pushed seventy in the old truck. Heero couldn't take his eyes off the raven-haired boy that lay broken and bleeding beside him. Looked like he got his wish.

**

Well, I promised a long chapter, and here it is! What do you think? I'll get the next one up soon, see you then^_^


	9. Invalid

Actually, there's nothing this chapter. No warnings, no commentary. I don't own the characters that wren't mine. And I don't actually know anything about medicine, so don't bug me about it please. Otherwise, just enjoy the read! ^_^

**

Duo paced the waiting area. Twelve steps one way, then the other, pause, sit, stand, and start the cycle again. He stopped mid step as a tall man in a white coat came out; one of the doctors. The doctor walked to another couple in the E R waiting room with a joyous smile. One more family would go home happy today. Duo resumed his pacing.

As the doctor turned back to the information desk, Quatre stood and snatched his arm. "Excuse me, we've been here for a very long time, do you have any news about our friends?"

The doctor regarded the blonde with a cold detatchment, a look he had perfected over years of practice. "Name?"

"Chang."

The doctor scanned the charts before pulling one out. "It says here that Lee Chang was treeted for a broken leg and is recovering now. Ternash is still in surgory. If you want more information, you'll have to find the doctors that treated them."

Quatre gave a polite bow and went back to his seat beside Trowa. Duo started pacing again. Trowa's gaze fell on Heero. The Japanese youth sat as still as a statue, hardly blinking, staring fixedly at the door Ternash had been taken through. Trowa smiled slightly and leaned over, whispering something in his lover's ear. Quatre's eyes widened and he looked at Heero. "You really think so?" Trowa nodded and Quatre giggled softly behind his hand.

Another doctor came through the swinging doors and looked around the waiting area. His gaze settled on Heero. "Are you with the Chang brothers?" Heero nodded silently. "Lee is in room 208. Could you go there and wait for me?" Heero stood and the other three followed as he stalked away to the room.

Duo fell into step beside the stoic boy. "You told them they were brothers?"

"They look enough alike. We needed a cover story." His tone meant that there was nothing else to say about it and Duo backed off.

"Geez, bite my head off, why dontcha? Man, Heero's been so touchy lately."

The room was white, pristine, spotless. In short, everything a hospital room is supposed to be. It was kind of odd to see all that white marred by the dark pool that was WuFei's hair. He was paler than usual, but overall he looked fine; minus the fact that his leg was set in a cast, of course. He smiled when he saw the boys. "Duo, is there a reason everyone's been calling me Lee?"

The braided pilot latched onto his love and smiled his typical goofy grin. "Well, Lee is the only Chinese name I know. We couldn't very well waltz in here and tell them we were five terrorists wanted on multiple felony charges with our friend, the freak of nature."

"I assume you're referring to Ternash?" Duo jumped to the sound of the doctor's voice. "Terrorists, huh? Certainly not what I was expecting." Suddenly Heero had a gun leveled at the doctor. He almost seemed to ask for the man to move and give him a reason. The doctor swallowed hard. "There's no need for that. We need to speak about your other friend."

Grudgingly, Heero lowered his weapon, sending it back to spandex space where it belonged. "How is he?"

There was a stretch of silence, the universal signal that things were bad. "He's asleep." Very bad. "It's doubtful that he'll wake up again. There were two bullets in his shoulder, another in his collar bone. Two more in his side, just above the hip and one here." He held his finger up to his chest, centimeters left of his heart. "So, I'm going to hazard a guess at what happened. He barged in somewhere and got shot before the door was even open, which is why only half of his body is now swiss cheese."

The boys stared at him for a while before Duo broke into a fit of giggles, completely lost to the the solemn moment. "Yeah, I think that about covers it. How'd you figure?"

"Well, seeing as he came in with you guys, there's not much else that could have happened. I really hadn't thought of terrorists. Soldiers, maybe, but . . . I've been a doctor for thirteen years, I've seen stranger. Much stranger."

Quatre nodded and offered his arm to WuFei, helping the boy sit up. Trowa slipped out the door and returned a moment later with a pair of crutches. "Are you going to need help?"

Fei shook his head. "I'm fine." He grabbed the crutches and balanced his weight as he stood. He cast a glance at the doctor, waiting for the professional to try and stop them.

The doctor frowned. "Do you have a way to get back to wherever you're staying?" Carefully, WuFei nodded. "I'll help you to your car."

The whole room was silent, frozen in time. Finally, Duo cracked, reverting to natural behavior and opening his big mouth. "You're just going to help a bunch of terrorists?"

The doctor smiled sadly. "Patient doctor confidentiality. Besides, you'd leave with or without my help. Your residence, um, is it fit for an invalid?" Shaky nods went around the room. "Then you should take Ternash with you as well."

It was too much for Trowa. Eyes wide, he couldn't stop staring at the doctor. "You aren't giving up on him! You're turning him away from the only place where he has a shot at survival?"

The doctor raised a hand to silence him. "No. He isn't safe here. I'm going against my own instincts to let a scientific marvel like him leave in the first place. But it's really not likely that he can survive, even in the best of medical care. It's better for him to be as comfortable as possible. If he's left here, he'll just be a life sized experiment."

Heero nodded and stalked into the hall. "We'll need all records on them both. If you don't hand them over, we'll get them another way. Hurry up."

**

WuFei sat on the couch where he had been for the last couple of days. The new safe house wasn't as big as the last – only two bedrooms instead of four – but it was cozy and much more secluded. There was even an abandonned warehouse nearby to store the gundams in. In the end, though, it meant that Trowa and Quatre shared a bed, Ternash lay comatose in the other, WuFei got the couch for his leg, and Heero and Duo were left to sleep anywhere they could. It would have been a fairly comfortable situation if under different circumstances. 

Quatre came in from the kitchen carrying a small plate of food. "Fei, I've made lunch for you. Please eat?" He set the plate beside WuFei who made no move for the nourishment.

"Is there any change?"

Quatre siged. "No, he hasn't even moved." The blonde frowned as WuFei glowered at his hands. "Fei, it's not your fault."

"He was hurt rescuing me. How is that not my fault?"

"He chose to come, Fei. Besides, you wouldn't have even been captured if not for him. Maybe it is your fault he got hurt. But it's his fault you were hurt, right?" Fei didn't respond and Quatre felt his smile fading. "Please eat, Fei. Don't starve yourself like this, he wouldn't want it."

Fei nodded reluctantly and reached for the plate, bringing it to his chest. Finally he spoke again. "I want to know if there's any change, good or bad, all right?"

Quatre stood motionless and nodded. "It's good that he hasn't woken up. He doesn't feel any pain now."

"He isn't going to wake up, is he?"

"Probably not. We'll tell you anything, I promise."

**

Trowa sat on the floor on the other side of the coffee table from WuFei. It had been another day and still no change. Carefully, he moved his peg on the Chinese Checkers board. He focused on the game, keeping his mind off the boy that was asleep above their heads. WuFei sighed and moved his peg. "I don't want him to die," he said suddenly.

"None of us do."

"You don't understand. I told him, once, that I couldn't accept what he was."

Trowa nodded, "I know how you feel. I never actually appologized for punching him when we first met." He reached out and moved another peg illegally. Neither boy noticed the broken rule. "But he was hurt so badly, how can he survive?"

The two sat for a while in silence, eventually giving up on their game. Everyone in the house was so distraught over Ternash. Only Heero seemed unphased, but even he had visited the neko last night. Even he couldn't hide the slight changes in his behavior.

Nearly an hour passed before either boy moved. Without warning, an ear-splitting scream rang down the hall. Trowa bolted to his feet and raced up the stairs three at a time, clearing the last half dozen in a single leap. Much slower with his injury, WuFei scrammbled to follow as fast as he could.

Trowa and Quatre stood, one on either side of the door, peering into Ternash's room when Fei hobbbled up. The Chinese boy pushed his way through the doorway, despite the two boys attempts to stop him. Inside, Ternash was awake, screaming loud enough to wake the dead. He couldn't stay still and each movement brought fresh stabs of pain. Heero had his arm in an iron grip while Duo jabbed a serynge of pain killers into a vein.

Fei went to the bedside, clasping Ternash's free hand tightly. "It's all right, the pain will pass. Relax." Slowly, the small body calmed and Ternash slipped back into unconsciousness, the powerfull drugs too much for his system.

Duo looked up with a mixture of shock and disbeleif on his exhausted face. He locked eyes with Fei. "He woke up." Fei nodded at his lover, watching the braided boy's eyes fill with hope. "Do . . . do you think he might wake up again? He might survive?"

No one left Ternash's room that night except when Trowa breifly went to get supper for everyone. Even Heero stayed, which brought a smile to Quatre and Trowa's lips, but confused the heck out of the other boys. Around two in the morning, WuFei and Heero were the only ones awake when the neko let out a low groan.

"Fei? I smell blood. Is it mine?"

Fei gripped his hand tightly. "Yes, but you're going to be all right now."

Heero moved closer to the bed. "Hold still, I'll give you more pain killers."

Ternash shook his head. "I don't feel anything. But, it's hard to breathe."

"One of your lungs was collapsed. The hospital doctors didn't hold much hope for you. It's best to go back to sleep."

"Am I in the hospital?"

"No, they let us bring you home. Everyone wanted you to be as comfortable as possible."

He was silent for a moment. "Is that because I'm going to die?"

Fei choked slightly. "You're strong, and you can heal fast, but you were hurt so badly."

"I'm not going to die. Not like this. I refuse."

Heero kneeled beside the bed and took up Ternash's other hand, not saying a word. The three of them stayed that way until Ternash fell asleep again.


	10. Recovery

Hello again. I'm a little late this time, but it's no big thing. I'm so happy! My Sprin Break is next week! YAY!! Although, I had to swim a mile in class for my final today. Not as yay. Oh, oh! Spirited Away is such a freagin' awesome movie!! Am I aloud to be promoting movies? Ah well, what, are they going to sue me for making them more money? If you haven't seen the movie, you should. It is totally cool. Anyway, back to GW. I dun own it, so dun sue pease ^_^

Warnings: All right, there's lots more suicidal-y-ness from the poor Neko (but at least he's alive, right?). I still know nothing about medacine and probably have my recovery timeline screwed up big time, and you guys get a bit more history on the neko-chan.

**

Trowa came into Ternash's room expecting somber silence. Instead he saw Heero and WuFei still asleep on either side of the bed. It had been a pleasant surprise that morning to wake up and see the stoic pilot of Wing holding the smaller boy's hand. It had reaffirmed Trowa's suspicions that Heero was human after all. The room was still silent, but it was peaceful, not the silence of death he had been expecting. In fact, he was being watched. From the bed, deep emerald eyes stared up at Trowa. "I didn't expect you to be awake."

"Neither did I. Trowa, can you help? I can't move my arm."

The pilot came over and pressed gently on the neko's left shoulder. "You were shot several times. It's a miracle you've even lasted this long." Ternash winced, letting out a stiffled cry and Trowa continued. "No vital organs hit, except your lung. You lost a lot of blood, but it's beginning to look like you might actually recover. Do you want medicine?"

Ternash gritted his teeth and was silent for a moment. "No, I want to stay awake. Pain killers'll just knock me out again."

Trowa checked the rest of the injuries and was silent for a moment. "Ternash, I want to appologize. For how I acted when we first met. And, I really hope you do recover and that you'll stay with us once you do."

Ternash blinked up at him with huge eyes. "You want me to stay? Look, I understand you guys care about me and you feel guilty about what happened, but you can't really want me to stay. I'll become a liability."

Trowa smiled slightly, his visible eye twinkling. "Your presence would be a blessing. Everyone here likes you." He paused a moment and glanced at Heero's sleeping form. "Besides, it'll be good for all of us."

Ternash smiled at that, though he didn't entirely understand what Trowa meant by it. "Trowa? Can you . . . Would you help me up?"

Trowa nodded and gently raised Ternash into a sitting position. "You lost a lot of blood. You really need to take it easy, all right?"

Ternash nodded. "I just can't stand being in the same spot for so long."

"You'll be all right without me?" Ternash nodded again. "Then I'll go tell the others you're awake." Trowa turned and padded silently away.

Ternash stood, carefully, putting almost his full weight on the bedpost. He promised he would take it easy, and he would. He just didn't want to be in that bed anymore. A short walk wouldn't hurt. Just a few minutes.

Ten minutes later found Ternash leaning against the hall wall, panting heavily for breath. By now, his energy was completely wasted and the heavy pain killers had worn off entirely. He pushed himself off the wall and shuffled further down the hall. He wanted to get somewhere where he could rest, but the thought of going back to that prison of a bed made his skin crawl.

"Cat! What do you think you're doing?" Ternash turned to see Heero stalking towards him. The Japanese boy lifted the neko rather like a sack of potatoes and carried him back to his room."

"Heero, put me down. I'm fine, I just wanted to move around a bit." Ternash's protests made his exhaustion obvious and only strengthened Heero's resolve to put him back to rest. "Heero, please, don't."

The pilot enterd the room with his burden and lay Ternash on his bed. The cat was shaking slightly, trying not to cry in frustration. Heero filled a serynge with pain killer and stalked back to Ternash's side. "Hold still."

Ternash tried to pull his arm away but Heero caught it in his steel grip. "Heero, no, they'll knock me out again. Please!"

"You need the rest. Especially after that stunt you just pulled. Now hold still!" He depressed the plunger and removed the needle, waiting beside the neko until he dropped into sleep again. He put away the needle before stompping from the room.

WuFei lifted his head once the other pilot was gone, breaking his feigned sleep. He looked at Ternash and sighed. He had acted like they were forcing him into his execution chair just now. He thought a moment about the past few days. Well, what else could you call being forced into bed with nothing to do other than a slow death? He sighed again, fumbling with his crutches. He made his way out of the room and down stairs, determined to think of something to help Ternash.

***

Ternash reached out, carefully moving his peg that much closer to the goal. Quatre beamed at him, "Great move! I think this is really your game!"

WuFei reached out and moved his own peg, winning him the game. "Ne, Wu-chan! That's no fair! You and this game are the same nationality, it gives you an unfair advantadge!"

"Baka yarou! That has nothing to do with it!" 

Duo glanced at Ternash, hoping to see a smile on his face from the little scene he was creating. Ternash leaned back into his pillows, face completely blank. "Good game."

Heero watched the neko and frowned. "Another game?"

"No, thank you. I'm tired, I think I should take a nap."

Heero frowned and began putting away the game board. He stood, a bit too quickly, and stalked out of the room. Ternash wiggled under the covers and closed his eyes as WuFei stood and hurried, as fast as he could, downstaris.

WuFei set his crutches aside, taking up a stance he knew well. Slowly, taking care not to hurt his leg, he began one of the forms he knew. Slow. Think about each move. Meditate. Find an answer. He punched, slowly, and paused. "That's not right . . ."

"You seem distracted."

WuFei turned to Heero's voice, wincing slightly as he put weight on his right foot. "I'm attempting to think of something that would cheer Ternash up. He's horribly depressed, and nothing we've been doing seems to help."

"So what do you suggest?"

WuFei sighed, taking up his form again. "He's mentioned his old dojo a few times, but I know he wasn't treated well there. I thought he might enjoy learning the art."

"That sounds plausible. A good idea, what's the problem?"

WuFei bit back a cry as he stepped wrong. "I would have to be the one to train him, and I can't handle it with my own injury. I'd need help." He looked at Heero again. "The others are all fighters, but none of them know the art, you know that. I can't do it alone, and there's no one to help." He sighed and went back to the form, trying to think of something else.

Heero blinked in wonder. _He won't ask me to help. He thinks I'd refuse. _Heero watched his fellow pilot for a moment. "It would be difficult to train him."

"I know."

"Especially since you and I know different styles." WuFei stopped, mid kick, and focused on Heero. "Suggest it tonight. I'll be working on Wing if he says yes." Heero turned his back and left.

***

Heero wrapped a hand tightly around Ternash's waist and chest, holding up nearly all of the cat's weight. His other arm floated in the air, waiting for it's use. WuFei demonstrated a move and Ternash would attempt it himself, with a lot of help from Heero, of course. The Japanese pilot repositioned the cat's hands and held him upight, acting just as cold as he always had.

"That was First Fist. What do you think?"

A definate smile played over the neko's lips. "It's good to know."

Heero shadowed the boy with his own small smile. Here they were, nearly a week into training, and Ternash had really started to look happy again. He agreed to stay with the boys and was starting to rival Duo in cheerfullness at times. Life was finally good again, or as good as it could be for wanted terrorists.

"Is that all for today?" Throughout the training, Heero had taken more and more of Ternash's weight into his arms. He had a perfect guage for how tired the other boy was. Right now, he was exhausted.

WuFei nodded, his leg throbbing a steady and painful beat. "Yes, I believe it's time for a break. We've been at it for a while, why don't you take him up to his bed."

Ternash nodded, turning to wrap his arm around Heero's neck. The Japanese pilot lifted the slight boy, no emotion showing on his face, and walked back into the house and up the stairs. "Heero?" The pilot looked down at the cat. "I'm really glad you're doing this."

Heero broke eye contact. "You say that every day."

"That's because it's true. Besides, you never answer my question."

"Why? Because it makes you feel better."

"You say that every day."

"That's because it's true."

***

_Ternash stood quietly beside his parents, listening to them negotiate with the sensei. "We do not expect you to take him on as a student, of course. We are leaving and cannot take him with us."_

_"You will pay to have him be a border here?"_

_Ternash's mother nodded. "Yes. Double normal your fee and we expect half the work. Do you except?"_

_The sensei nodded and took the money. "At double pay, this is only enough for a few months. Will you be sending more?"_

_His father smiled slightly. "We are honor bound to see that the boy is taken care of. We leave that care to you. When the money is gone, you will not be able to find us."_

_"I understand. Let me see the boy." Ternash's parents stepped out of the way, revealing a very small, five year old neko. The sensei's eyes widened. "Oh my god!" In a lightning quick move, he punched the toddler, sending him flying back and into a wall._

_Ternash lay bleeding, young mind trying to comprehend what had happened. He could hear the adults speaking more. "Double what you gave me, or I shall not take on that monster."_

_"Done. Feel free to have him pay any additional debt any way he can." Ternash groaned and closed his eyes, not looking forward to his next awakening._

_Ternash carried the tray of food, careful not to spill a single bit. He came into his sensei's room and set the specially prepared meal on the floor. "Master?"_

_"What do you want,cat?"_

_"Please, sir. I wanted to know when I could learn to fight?" he bowed deeply, hoping he would not be punished for such a request._

_His sensei paused, seeming to consider it. "Very well, come with me." He swept away to his waiting class of students. Upon entering, Ternash stopped just inside the doorway, waiting for instructions. "Class, attention! Bow!" Ternash hesitantly followed the movements._

_Low whispers resounded about the 'freak'. The sound seemed to burn in Ternash's ears. "Students! Enough!" The room immediately quieted. "Today we shall be sparing. You all know Neko." The students began chuckling in understanding, a sickening sound. His sensei turned to the neko. "The best way to learn is through experience. Begin!" Ternash ran, but he knew he would never be fast enough to get away._

Ternash sat bolt upright in bed. He _hated that dream! Looking around, he saw Heero asleep on a chair, arms crossed and face set in a slight frown. Ternash rubbed his eyes, wiping away the sweat and trying to forget. He had never asked his sensei for anything after that class had nearly beaten him to death. Ternash lay back with a flop, trying to get back to sleep._

From the chair, Heero cracked his eyes. Ternash had been talking in his sleep, something about his parents and training. The neko's breaths became regular again as he drifted into sleep once more. Heero reached out to brush away the neko's damp bangs. It must have been horrible.

***

Well, I'm not as satisfied as I could be. I might come back later and redo this whole chapter. But, oh well, this is what you get for now at least. Hope you like it. Doen't Ternash have such a sad past? Poor kitten . . .


	11. The Kiss

Grrr. No reviews. I blame my lateness on that. Well, that and spring break. Ah well, it doesn't really matter. I don't own any of these gorgeous bishies, I just make up random plot for them to suffer through. Oh, and the kitten is mine. On with the chapter ^_^

Warnings: All right, swearing and fighting and relly crappy romance – but it's supposed to be, you'll understand when you see who it is. Treize returns for (hopefully) the last time – I'm trying to wrap up his loose end. 

***

Ternash waited eagerly in the kitchen for WuFei. He was finally strong enough to train a while on his own and the Chineese boy had promised they'd start today. After what seemed like an eternity, Fei sauntered down the staris, hardly favoring his leg at all any more. His eyes fell on Ternash and he let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, we can't go today. I got a mission last night."

Ternash blinked, letting the words sink in. "How long a mission?"

"I'll be back tomorrow or the next day and we'll start again."

Ternash nodded and walked to the couch to sit. WuFei sighed again, but he had to go.

Nearly an hour later, Ternash hadn't moved. He had nothing to do if Fei wasn't there. So he was surprised when Heero tossed two strips of fabric into his lap. "Wrap up your wrists and we'll do some light sparing."

Ternash looked at the rough Japanese. "But, WuFei's not here."

"I'm your sensei too, and I say, move!" Ternash jumped slightly and began wrapping his wrists as ordered. "Now, we'll go very easy. Come on."

Ternash took up a hesitant stance when he got outside and waited patiently as Heero corrected it. He waited, completely motionless as Heero took up a similar stance across from him. He gulped, suddenly nervous. "Heero, you're not going to attack me, are you?"

"No, at least no contact. Let's start."

Ternash gulped again, fighting the urge to bolt for safety at those words. He swallowed his heart and punched towards Heero. "Again, harder," came the boy's reply. "Don't hold back, you won't hurt me." Ternash lunged, slowly speeding up as he sent punches and kicks towards Heero. "Vary it, you're stuck to much on your rhythm, I can predict your moves." Nodding, Ternash continued.

Finally, he stepped back. "I need to stop, Heero."

The pilot scowled. "You'll give up that easily? Please Mr. Attacker, I need to catch my breath? Ternash, this is a war. You have more enemies than I can count just because of what you are. If you aren't going to try your hardest, you shouldn't bother." Ternash blinked at him, not sure what to say. "Come on, cat. Freak. Fight me!"

That was it. The button. Ternash's eyes narrowed and he lunged for Heero's throat, claws threatening to gouge out his eyes. How dare he say something like that! Ternash was going to make him pay. A few minutes of this passed before Ternash fell to the ground, no energy left even to stand. "You bastard."

Heero knelt and lifted the neko, carrying him back towards the house. "You needed to hear it. You needed to know how much further you could go."

From his place on the porch, Duo rose and followed the two boys into the house. He watched as Heero lay Ternash on his bed and the neko turned away from him. It looked like he was crying. Even stranger, it looked like Heero was hurt emotionally. Deciding immediately, Duo grabbed Heero's arm as he came into the hallway. "Come with me."

"Duo?"

"Shut up and come with me. We have to go shopping."

"Shopping? Duo, let go." 

Duo continued to drag the hapless boy along. "It's standard when you hurt someone's feelings to get them something to make up for it. You're inept, so I'll tell you what to do. We should get chocolates and, maybe, something he can play with or use."

"Duo, those sound like courtship gifts."

"Well, you like him right?"

"No."

"You like him, you just won't admit it. Q-chan and Tro-man figured it out a while ago, I'm just slow on the uptake."

"I don't like him."

"Oh yeah? Then how come you keep helping him?"

"Because he needs it. WuFei couldn't do it alone."

"Yeah, sure, fine, you don't like him."

"I don't."

"Right. You're buying him a gift anyway. What do you think he'd like?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"Well, you're his sensei, right? Oh never mind. I know this great little weapons shop. Think he'd like a knife? Or a bo? You could teach him how to use them." Duo continued to prattle away as he shoved Heero into the car and drove into town.

***

Ternash turned towards the door as he heard the distinct sound of Heero and Duo arguing. Without warning, the former was shoved into the room and the door slammed behind him. Heero whirled, grabbing the handle and shaking the door with all his might. "Duo!"

"I'm not unlocking it," could be heard from the other side of the door.

"Duo, if you don't open this door, I'm going to break it down." Heero's voice was deathly quiet. It scared Ternash.

"Not until you tell him! I'll come back in a couple hours, k?"

Heero banged on the door again a few times to no response. He growled and paced to the other side of the room before returining and pounding the door once more. "I know you're still there, you baka! Unlock the door!" Still no answer.

Ternash turned his face away from Heero as the pilot looked at him, though not before noticing the two packages he had in one hand. Heero cleared his throat as if to reign in his temper and walked to the side of the bed in the room. "These are for you."

Ternash blinked at the box that was shoved under his nose. He sat up, taking the small package. "Chocolates?"

"Duo picked them out. He said you'd like them."

Ternash sat up, sampling one of the chocolates. "Thanks." There was silence for a while before Heero held out the other package. Ternash took it hesitantly. "What's this?"

"Open it." Ternash did, reveiling a long slim boken. "If you'd like, we can work it into your training. WuFei can teach you, I mean."

Ternash's eyes shone at the gesture. "Thank you, Heero." The other boy grunted slightly and sat tensely in a chair. There was silence for a while. "Heero? Why did you do what you did?"

"The gifts? Duo made me."

"That's not what I meant."

Heero was quiet and seemed like he wouldn't answer. Finally, he sighed. "You needed to hear it. I don't want to see you get hurt and that means you have to give your all in every fight. Even in training. I'm –" he swallowed, apparently struggling with his words. "I'm sorry."

Ternash stared in shock for a moment. "I know. It was just hard to hear, you know? It's all right anyway, I can't expect you not to tell the truth after all."

It was Heero's turn to stare. "The truth? You can't think that's what I really consider you?"

"It's what I am. I'm a freak, I don't need you to sugar coat it."

Heero stood and leaned over Ternash, looking straight into his eyes. "I don't consider you a freak. You are special, unique. But you are just as human as I am. And you deserve all the respect that entails." He hesitated for a moment before closing the distance for a quick kiss. "I don't think you're a freak."

Duo leaned back, closing the door silently as Heero moved back to his chair. It sure had taken him long enough.

***

Ternash looked up at the small house in front of him.  It had been a month since he'd been here, and none of the memories were good ones. But he had to face facts. When they had abandoned this safe house, Ternash's things weren't high on the list of stuff to get out. And he was damn tired of wearing Quatre's clothes. For one thing, the blonde's style just didn't fit the neko. For another, the clothes didn't _fit the neko. Despite Quatre's own small size, the clothes were still too big and didn't even come close to fitting his tail._

He sighed and walked under the board that had been nailed across the ruined door. It had taken several hours to convince Heero to even let him come back here, Ternash wasn't about to let a few condemned signs stop him. Carefully he climbed the stairs, avoiding the bits of railing and drywall that littered his path. The soldiers sure had done a number on the place. 'Practically destroyed', isn't that how Duo had described it? He hadn't done it justice. What Ternash remembered of the residence – stove, television, couch, quilts – had all been torn apart, and some things – most notably the built in communitations station that the boys had been very strict about never using – were gone altogether. Ternash knew some things had to have been left, but it certainly wasn't here now. The rooms hardly looked like a house at all any more.

What had served as Ternash's room wasn't any different. What had been his futon was now merely strips of fabric, many of his clothes were in a similar state. Ternash kneeled on the floor and began to gather his things. A lot of it was destroyed, but a lot was sill fine. Almost all of his treasured books seemed untouched. He thumbed through the pages of each one, carefully checking for any damage at all before dropping them into his duffel bag. He went around the room after that gathering his clothing and seeing which pieces were actually salvageable. He bagan shoving articles into his bag, not bothering to fold them. He came to his belt, the light purple one he'd worn on his first mission. His hand closed over something that appeared to be stuck on it and Ternash pulled the thing off. The scowled as he saw what it was. A tracker. Because he'd been daydreaming over that _pervert,_ Ternash had been stupid enough to lead OZ straight to his friends!

Ternash crushed the device and finished packing, promising that he'd do everything he could to bring down the now hated organization. Ternash paused as a presence seemed to settle over him. It was smothering, like a heavy black veil that had enclosed his whole body suddenly. And there was something else . . . a familiar smell, almost that of roses . . . Ternash whirled to face Treize.

The general was standing in the doorway, watching the neko for who knew how long. "I thought you might come back so I've been having someone watch this house." Ternash reached into his pocket, pulling out the small distress signaler that Heero had given him. No sooner had he pressed the button than Treize moved forward with long limbs and snatched the device, dropping it to the floor where he stepped on it. Ternash took the second of distraction to his advantage and spun, slamming a side kick into the general's chest.

Treize stumbled back under the blow, but recovered almost instantaneously and grabbed tight hold of the neko's wrist. Ternash wasted no time. He stepped towards and behind the general and cut across his shoulder, sending him face first to the floor. Ternash grabbed his bag and darted from the room. He tore down the stairs, hearing Treize just seconds behind him, and out of the door and down the sidewalk. Nothing he could now but run.

***

Heero sat on a bench a few blocks from the old safe house. He glared down the street looking for Ternash. Not seeing the neko, he leaned his head back again and resumed his study of the clouds. He was worried about the smaller boy, hadn't wanted to agree to this at all, but in the end it hadn't been his choice. It was either take Ternash or the boy would go by himself. So Heero waited to be the pick up. He wished he could be there _with_ Ternash. But if something _did_ go wrong, it was better not to be there and risk his own well being.

After all, if something happened, Ternash would use the signaler.

::beep beeep beep beep::

The gods had a very twisted sense of timing. Heero pulled the receiver from his pocket and glared at the light, daring it to flash and beep again. But it didn't. Had Ternash hit the button as a prank jus to get Heero to twitch? No, he wasn't Duo after all, and even Shinigami had more sense than to pull something like that. Had it maybe been an accident and Ternash had switched it off right away? Heero stood and looked down the street. That explanation made sense, but something about it felt wrong. He started towards the house at a run. If something _was_ wrong, he needed to help. 

And something felt very wrong.

Heero craned his neck, looking as far as he could to try and spot the neko. And sure enough, there he was, running top speed down the sidewalk straight towards Heero. Well, he wasn't technically running towards Heero. He was running from Treize in Heero's direction. Ternash spotted the pilot of wing and broke into a smile. Once he was close enough, he launched his duffel bag into the air. "Hold this a sec!" Completely dumbfounded, Heero complied.

Ternash spun on his heel, putting the momentum into a punch. Treize, not having time to stop or dodge, took the punch straight to the stomach. However the general was not a man to be brought down by a singal punch, or the kick that followed it. It was enough to slow him down though and Ternash had time to put Heero between them.

Treize stopped, breathing heavily and glaring death at the two boys. He was willing to deal with his cat toy alone, but a fully trained and probably well armed Gundam pilot was another story. He looked closely at Heero, noticing the protective glint in his eye, and grinned. "Found yourself a new play thing, Ternash?"

A definate blush crept over the pale cheeks and Treize knew he had hit the mark. The cat didn't respond to his provocation, though, but instead turned to Heero. "I got my stuff. We can leave now."

"Does it bother you that he can never be your first? Are you even willing to comit to him that way? Or would you rather come back and play with me again?"

Heero flashed the general a warning gaze and began to back away. When Treize followed a few steps, Heero pulled a gun and leveled it at the older man.

Treize stopped and nodded. "Very well then." He turned to his right and began down a side road. "Do enjoy my left overs."

Heero waited a few minutes, watching to see if Treize would turn back. Then he grabbed Ternash's arm and set off at a run for the old OZ truck they were still using. He drove quickly, trying not to draw too much attention to them. He risked a glance at Ternash. The boy held his bag tight against his chest and stared fixedly ahead. Heero frowned. 

"You must think I'm an idiot."

Heero blinked and focused on the road, trying to to crash. "Why would I think that?"

"I make you bring me back here and almost get myself caught again or worse. All for a few stupid clothes and some books."

Heero was silent for a while before nodding. "It was not the wisest thing, no. But it was something you had to do."

Ternash was quiet for an even longer time. I suppose it did feel good to punch that bastard."

"You stance is still weak. We'll work on that when we get back." The two drove on in silence for close to ten minutes before Heero spoke again. "We're going to be here for a while, make certain we aren't followed. Do you want to talk about it?"

Ternash looked at him. "Wow, the great Heero Yuy is offering to talk to me. I feel so _honored!_"

"I kiss you and you're surprised I want to talk?"

Ternash looked away. "There's nothing to talk about."

Heero seemed to accept that and concentrated on the road. But inside he couldn't help but mull over what Treize had said. Was Ternash really just playing with him? Using him as a source of comfort until he got over the creepy general? _It doeasn't bother me, I shouldn't be worried about it._ But it did bother him. Ternash hadn't even mentioned the kiss in the two days since it had happened. He hadn't even mentioned it now, Heero had been the one to bring it up. _Damnit. What was I expecting? To just step in and instantly have him love me? Just like you to screw up your first real crush, Yuy._ The pilot silently berated himself for nearly and hour before they finally reached the safe house. Ternash hurried from the car and straight to his room and Heero was left alone. "Hn. Story of my life." He muttered quietly before climbing the porch steps.

***

It's a terrible thing. I've caught up with my writng. Which means that, while I only have one chapter left to this little tale, I haven't finished typing it up yet. So I'll try to get it out next Monday, but no garauntees. Anyway, If you've read my other long fics (not that you have since none of them are GW), you know that I write an in character review at the end as a final chapter. So I'll post that at the same time as the nest chapter. In the mean time, review! See you soon ^_^


	12. Fluff

Forgive me, I know I'm more than a week late. I did warn you all! Well, here it is. Mostly fluff, but that's all right, right? That's why it took so long, you know. I find it so hard to be nice to the bishonen, this was pretty hard to write. Oh well, enough yapping, here it is. Enjoy ^_^

***

Ternash was up early the next morning. By the time any of the other boys stumbled from bed, the neko was dressed and breakfast was ready. Quatre's eyes sparkled as he saw the wonderful meal. "Wow, you went to a lot of trouble!"

Ternash didn't say anything as he finished setting the table. He handed an especially large plate to Heero with an odd look in his eyes. An apology for yesterday? Heero thought it was something else . . . The pilot of Wing picked slowly at the foods, releshing the rich tastes. He glanced up, noticing Ternash's eyes on him. The neko looked hurredly away, but continued to sneak glances until it became too much for Heero. He stood, leaving the other pilots and Ternash behind.

Duo stared at Heero's back. "Well, if he doesn't want his food . . ." The braided boy pulled Heero's half finished plate in front of him and smiled at Ternash. "It really is great, thanks a bunch!"

Ternash seemed to ignore the compliment, leaving a confused Duo to blink at a second fleeing back in as many minutes. Ternash looked at Heero as he passed through the archway that connected the tiny kitchen to the equally small sitting room. The taller boy stood leaning against the far wall beside the stairs, arms crossed tightly over his chest. Ternash took a few careful steps forward. "Heero?"

Heero glared at Ternash, his eyes promising slow death to all those that crossed him. He looked away, face softening almost imperceptibly, and Ternash finished closing the distance between them. He stood, looking up in silent expectation of Heero's response. None came. Finally, Ternash let out a huge sigh. "Does what he said bother you?"

Heero blinked, confused for a moment at the odd question. "What are you talking about?"

"Treize, what he said. Does it bother you?"

Heero opened his mouth, ready to reply an instant 'no'. He paused, mouth slightly agape. "If I said no, you wouldn't believe me. If I said yes, you'd blame yourself." Ternash stayed quiet, staring fixedly at Heero's chest as it moved slightly with each breath. "Ternash, listen, it bugs me. But it's Treize, anything he says is taken with a grain of salt." Heero waited for Ternash to speak again. When he didn't, a thought occurred to him. "Do . . . does it bother you?"

Ternash refused to meet the other boy's eyes. "It wouldn't normally, I don't think. I hate Treize with all my heart, but . . ." Ternash finally looked up, tears threatening to overflow his eyes. "Heero, he was right."

Heero used every once of will he had to meet Ternash's gaze. His heart was suddenly in a vice, his body was cold. _This is what's best. A relationship would get in the way of the mission._ But what about the others? They were all deeply involved in a relationship, and they seemed even more adamant about bringing an end to the war. Heero took a deep breath, "No." He was stunned into silence at the word even as it escaped his mouth. That was not what he had intended to say, but too late not to go with it. "He was wrong. You may be scared now, but I know you'll get over him with the right amount of time."

Ternash shook his head. "I feel like I've betrayed you. The worst part is, it was my choice, he didn't force me to do what I did." The tears were streaming from his eyes now. "It bothers me, Heero, more than anything. I don't want to hurt you like he hurt me. Heero, I –"

Heero pushed away from the wall, stalking to his laptop as it beeped. He scooped the device up and walked back to the stairs. As he passed Ternash, he slowed slightly. "I don't want to hear it, Ternash. There's nothing between us except one kiss and a few weak words. Work it out and then tell me. Not before. I leave it up to you." He climbed the stairs quickly, disappearing down the hall.

Ternash stood for a moment in shock. Numbly, he walked to the couch and sat. After several minutes, Duo found his way from the kitchen to the couch himself. He sat in silence, just watching Ternash for a few minutes longer. Finally, the silence was to much for the loudmouth. "What did that idiot do?"

Ternash looked at Duo, confused. He smiled sadly. "Nothing. He didn't do anything." Ternash sniffed and flung himself at the other boy, burying his head in Duo's chest and allowing himself to cry.

***

WuFei walked slowly through the door, body stiff from the long flight home. It had been a fairly rough mission, but it had all worked out in the end. And speaking of ends . . . Fei had to find Duo as soon as possible. He turned to the staris, slowly climbing in search of his loud partner.

Duo was seated on the floor of Ternash's room, hurridly pounding at the keys of the laptop he'd apparently borrowed from Heero. Ternash sat crosslegged on the bed above him. Duo glanced up as WuFei poked his head through the door. "Wu-man! So good to see you back! Man, you missed the best breakfast this morning. But that's not important right now." Ternash raised his hand in greeting, unable to voice the sentiment through Duo's enthusiastic explanations. "Heero got a new mission in. It's for all of us, but's it's not actually for a week or so. Which meens we have to set up our cover, I've already enroled the others. You and Ternash are the only ones left."

"Ternash? You're going to stick around?"

The neko nodded before being interrupted once again by the insatiable flow of words from Duo's mouth. "You've missed quite a lot Wu-baby. Heero and Ternash had a run-in with our favorite OZ general. Oh, and Ternash wants to start learning Kendo or whatever you call slicing people up with an oversized knife. You also missed Hee-chan's first."

"Duo!" Ternash suddenly broke his silence, bringing his hand down on the American's head with great force. "That's private, Duo."

"Private. Uh, right. If you remember, the only reason you even got a kiss was 'cause I locked him in the room."

"Duo!" Ternash held both of his hands up to sheild his rapidly reddening face. "Shut up, Duo. There's nothing there and you know it."

Duo was, amazingly, quiet at this. He met WuFei's eyes with a meaningful look before resuming his typing. "Anyway, if you two trust me to do your registrations alone, I'll just get back to that. I believe Ternash was eager to get back to lessons."

Ternash scrambled from the bed and away from Duo's big mouth. WuFei paused a moment longer, looking closely as Duo gave him another meaningful glance. WuFei knew better than to discount his lover's seemingly random babble. Often, it's the only thing that can save one's life. In more ways than one.

_//"Maxwell! Would you shut up and sit down already!"_

_"Aw, come on, Wu-chan, I'm just having a little fun."_

_"Don't call me that! We aren't supposed to be having fun. This is a mission and if you don't sit down you're going to blow our cover."_

_"I'm not going to blow our cover, Wu-chan. It's just a bus stop. Not everyone at a bus stop sits. I don't feel like sitting, and we're the only one's here, so I'm going to stay where I am, thank you very much."_

_"Maxwell! If you're going to stand, at least stand still, you're making me dizzy."_

_"Injustice!" WuFei glared at Duo's mocking, but the braided one sat, so that was at least an improvement. "Wu, listen, you and I gotta talk, right?"_

_"It isn't like you to be serious, Duo, what's up?"_

_"Not much, I was just wondering if you had listened to anything I said when we first got this mission."_

_"Of course I listened, you were ranting loud enough for the dead to hear every word."_

_"But were you *listening*?"_

_WuFei paused, thinking about the words. Duo had rattled on and on about how this mission would be near impossible for the two of them. They had to infiltrate the same hotel as some high ranking OZ officials and their cover was that they were supposed to be a couple. Duo had argued that Trowa and Quatre were a much better couple and that WuFei would sooner die than acknowledge that Duo liked him in that way. But Duo looked better than anyone in a dress and so they had gotten a mission. _

_Duo carefully watched as the wheels in his partners head turned. Fei opened his mouth, silently repeating the words 'that he likes me that way'. Understanding dawned and Fei turned to Duo . . . just as the pilot of Shinigami moved in to kiss him. Duo hadn't anticipated the Chinese boy's movement and ended up kissing a handful of his unbound hair. WuFei found himself with his mouth to Duo's ear before they hurridly pulled apart, more than slightly embarrased.//_

WuFei shook off the memory and turned from the room. He had learned then never to ignore Duo's ramblings. He took them apart and put them back together and tried to figure out what the boy was trying to say with more care and patience than anyone else could muster. He must have had a reason to tell WuFei about Heero's recent show of emotion. Fei feared that he was being counted on by his love to fix everything. He only hoped he could pull it off.

***

Ternash had retreated to the other room, smpty since Quatre and Trowa were out shopping. WuFei watched the boy carefully as he sat, legs folded under him, arms crossed, eyes closed. Fei had asked to hear the entire story whie the neko sat in meditation, and he was beginning to see why Duo needed his help. As if Heero wasn't complicated enough, throw Treize in the mix and Fei knew himself how messed up things could get.

He turned silently to the other boy in the room, asking for conformation of Ternash's words. Carefully, Heero nodded, not revealing his presence. WuFei turned to look at Ternash again and sighed. "So what do you plan on doing?"

"I don't know. I don't want to hurt Heero like Treize hurt me. He's so strong and nice to me . . . and I'm just using him."

"Sounds to me like you really want to be with him. Are you really going to one obnoxious general keep you apart?" Ternash shook his head, but didn't answer aloud. "Listen. Meditate on it. Just for ten minutes or something. See if you can't find an answer."

WuFei backpeddled until he was at the door. Heero placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. Staying silent, he mouthed a question to his partner. 'What do you want me to do?'

'Be here when he opens his eyes. Do this better than I did. Don't make him wait like Duo.' Heero gave one terse nod and Fei walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He paused a moment in thought before turning the key and locking the door. Then he walked off; he really needed to find Duo.

Inside the little room, Heero leaned gently against the wall, watching until Ternash opened his bleary green eyes. The neko let out a little gasp as he noticed the other boy. "Heero? What are you doing here?"

The barest grin touched the Japanese boy's lips. "Chang locked the door. Did you find the answer you were looking for?"

Ternash didn't meet his eyes. "I'm not really sure." He stood slowly, walking to stare into Heero's eyes. "So, I imagine you were spying on me all this time?"

"It was WuFei's idea."

"I see. You know, the last time you were locked in a room with me, I got a kiss."

"I shouldn't have done that then. You weren't ready, you were mad at me, I appologize."

Ternash shook his head, shaking off the sentiment. "Heero, would you hate me if I said I wanted to help you on your next mission?"

"Probably not, as long as you stick with the plans we make. No running off, no suicide attempts."

"Just as long as you promise me a shot at Treize if the chance arises."

Heero thought about that for a moment before nodding. "Deal."

"Well, that just leaves us in a locked room together. Last time, we didn't get out until you made up with me."

"Have I done something to upset you? Do you need another kiss to make you feel better?" Heero's smile widened, hope for the first time wrapping him tightly. Maybe, just maybe, this love thing wasn't a totally bad idea after all.

Ternash pressed his hands to the wall, effectively trapping a suddenly startled Heero. "Everyone has done things to upset me, Heero. And yes, I think I do need a kiss to make me feel better." With that, he rose onto his toes, pressing his lips into Heero's. Silently he hoped that Quatre would be out for a good long time, he may not be getting his room back for a while.

***

Now, I know I promised you guys a review at the end of this story. However, there is a problem with that. I give a comedy review to all my long pieces _unless_ they are part of a series or they have a sequal or something like that. So, since I plan on making that flashback into a full blown story later, no review. Well, review and ask for an update and I'll e-mail you or something when I get that done. Or just review and ignore the sequal. Or don't review. Whatever, I'm just happy to get this finished – unfinished stories really _bug_ me. See you all next time. Ja matta ne! ^_^


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